Illegal Aliens
by dirtyShoes
Summary: AU Ranma/Marvel/DBZ fusion. Mutants, Superhumans, and Saiyans abound in this epic adventure where the weight of the world rests on Kasumi's shoulders. Crappy summary, yes. Epic story, definitely.
1. Chapter 1

Howdy folks! Some of you may have been wondering what I've been up to during my latest absence. Perhaps some have also been silently cursing me for leaving several of my stories unattended. If either of the above two statements apply to you, then you can rest assured knowing that I have indeed been making progress on my one major story, as well as two others, including this one. Now, before I continue, I need to apologize to the people who liked the first incarnation of this story. I had good intentions with that version but, the more I tried to make progress on it, the more dissatisfied I became with its design. Eventually I came up with this to replace it and, in my opinion, it stands a much better chance of actually going somewhere.

Like its predecessor, it's a fusion of Ranma and Dragonball Z. However, that is where the similarities end. In this one, instead of having it be an alternate reality of DBZ, I've chosen to use the events of its canon universe as a history to base this story on, excluding GT. It is implied that, at some point during the millions of years that have passed, the few surviving Saiyans repopulated their race and took to travelling the stars in search of atonement. Eventually, Goku and his crew became regarded as little more than a legend among the recent Saiyan population. Time served to both weaken their strength and the belief they placed in the legend. The story starts as the Saiyan legacy comes full circle and returns to the planet that made their legend.

In addition, I have forgone the Smallville inclusion and replaced it with aspects of the Marvel universe, but with my own special twist to make up for my lack of extensive knowledge of its history. Since this is really more of a multi-fusion, I've decided to just post it here so as to avoid limiting it to one crossover category. Also, please feel free to point out any questions or concerns you may have so I can try and answer them in following posts. I would also greatly appreciate being notified of typos or grammatical errors I may have missed. By the way, I'm going to really depend on the feedback I get because I feel that this story is the culmination of all that I've learned from the many failed attempts I've accumulated in this genre so far. Thank you in advance.

Disclaimer: The only elements of this story that are actually mine are the plot and my own clunky writing style, lol. Anyway, the rest comes from somewhere else.

_**Illegal Aliens**_

_**Chapter One: **_

_**Welcome to Earth ... Can I See Your Green-card?**_

_"Space is a dark, cold, and unforgiving environment, by nature. If given the opportunity, it would not hesitate to swallow those that choose to dwell within its domain. The ruthless interim that seperates all celestial bodies has no regard for life, Saiyan or otherwise. It cannot be bribed, bargained with, or appealed to in any way. Like a Saiyan, it feels no remorse and shows no mercy when doing its duty ... but it does demand respect. Those who are brave, or foolish, enough to tangle within the great entity are deserving of respect as well. They walk the precarious line and share, if only for a short time, a perspective greater than themselves and the rest of their fellows. In pursuit of our cause ... they submit to the void." _

_- King Vegeta IV_

-- -- -- xxx -- -- --

_July 20th, 1977 _

_Lunar Surface; The Sea of Tranquility_

The American flag hung silently from its perch as the moon's rotation brought it into the light. As the minutes passed, the planet Earth crested the horizon to provide a fitting backdrop for the stars and stripes. After a moment, the flag burst into red flames and slowly disintegrated.

Four white pods zipped over head, each surrounded by a blazing white corona of energy that left a trail. They were discharging focused beams of the white energy in the same direction they had just come from as they narrowly evaded the red beams that flew toward them. Two distinct explosions illuminated the three large vessels that were firing upon the small group of pods. One of the large ships became engulfed in blue flames before it fell away from it's companions and impacted upon the moon's surface.

The two remaining bulky ships continued to decelerate as they approached the blue and white planet while still engaged in the fire fight with the highly maneuverable pods. One pod, in particular, broke formation with the rest and darted in between the two super-massive ships on a daring attack run before firing close range blasts to the starboard side of one. The ship that was under attack returned fire, having all but one of its many beams dodged, and inadvertently subjected its fellow vessel to friendly fire which resulted in a series of secondary explosions. The damaged pod broke its former path and rejoined its friends while trailing dark smoke.

Blue fire erupted across the hull of the injured super ship as the secondary explosions tore it apart from the inside out. The other ship tried to break away but was caught in the resulting shock wave and disabled. The blue glow of its four engines flickered before going dim as it began to enter the atmosphere and catch fire.

The quartet of small pods were further into the atmosphere, having already pierced through the uppermost layer and drawn long trails of smoke through the sky. The one distinctly brave pod was discharging electricity and falling slightly behind the others as they continued to descend. Their cloak of fire burned a portion of the clouds in the northern hemisphere before it became apparent that their collective trajectories were going to deposit them in a sparsely populated desert.

A giant smokey fireball disguised the form of the disabled ship as it fell amidst some other debris and barreled toward the middle of the Pacific ocean at an alarming speed. It penetrated the water at around the same time other pieces of debris began to riddle the shores of western America and decimate mainland Japan.

-- -- -- xxx -- -- --

_Outskirts of Roswell, New Mexico_

A pale green Volkswagen mini-bus skidded to a halt on the two lane highway as its windows were shattered from a resounding boom. The lone driver, a scruffy looking man decked out in tie-dye and beads, cautiously peered over the dash. He adjusted his shades to make sure the huge plumes of smoke and the craters on the side of the road weren't just a smudge on the lenses. After determining that there were, in fact, no smudges on the glass, he looked to the unoccupied passenger seat and grabbed the small baggy of mushrooms. His eyes darted back and forth from the baggy to the smokey craters before he tossed the bag over his shoulder.

He hastily popped his door open before abandoning his seat and scrambling over to the nearest crater. He arrived just as the smoke began to clear and gawked at the white pod in the center as thin threads of electricity danced around it. "Far out ..."

The hippie flinched when a loud hiss came from the pod and a barely visible vapor was vented from the hatch as it began to descend. His own fears fell to the wayside when he saw the occupant was a short-haired pregnant woman, clad in white robes, and that she appeared to be beaten and burned pretty badly. Ignoring his danger sense, he jumped in and slid down the dirt wall to the bottom of the large hole.

"Don't worry, miss," the man said, as he gently wrapped his arms around her. "I'm gonna get you outta here, 'kay?"

"Let go of her," a commanding voice said.

The hippie man paused before peering over his right shoulder. At the edge of the crater, he saw three people standing side by side while looking down on him. From left to right, there was a man with bone-straight shoulder length black hair, a bald man, and a woman with wild curls of auburn hair that cascaded down her back. All three were clad in a variation of strange armor, with furry belts wrapped around their waists, and appeared to be in peak physical shape.

"We'll take it from here, little man," the bald one said, in the same commanding voice. "Go to her, Soun."

The hippie's jaw dropped when the long haired man floated down and landed softly beside him. Now that he was up close, the scruffy human could see barely restrained tears in the strange man's eyes. He slowly released the woman in his arms and backed away to give the other man some space.

"Kazumi ..." Soun said as he leaned closer and stroked the unburt side of his mate's face. "Why would you do something so stupid?"

The woman named Kazumi responded to her mate's touch and gasped painfully as she regained consciousness. "Soun ...? We made it?" she asked.

Soun replied with a nod, the tears finally beginning to fall down his face.

"I'm so happy," Kazumi replied softly. "Don't cry, my love. Our child will live. It's almost time, I can feel her coming. She's going to be a very strong one, but she will need you to stay strong as well. Promise me you will."

"I promise but, right now, we need to get you healed," Soun said.

"No, it's too late. The ... last of my strength ... will be going with this birth," she said, as her contractions drew closer together. "Ahh ... get ready ... to receive her."

Soun nodded, swallowing his emotional pain, and getting into position. Kazumi cried out as she bore down and pushed with the last of her energy. A few minutes passed before Soun withdrew his new born daughter from the robes of her weakened mother. Soun brought the child up for Kazumi to see but it immediately became apparent that the baby was not breathing.

"No ... no it can't be ..." Kazumi panted, as she watched her mate cry silently while cradling their baby in one arm. "I felt her strength ... I felt it ..." she trailed off in a whisper as darkness crept around the edges of her vision. "Soun ... I'm so sorry," she said, before closing her eyes.

"Kazumi! Don't leave me! Don't you go!" Soun yelled in a shaky voice, nudging her with his free hand. "Kaaazzzuummmiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!" he screamed, in anguish, at the top of his lungs as his aura burst forth and swirled around him in a turbulent representation of his feelings.

The hippie man yelped in fear before scrambling up the side of the crater and dashing back toward his vehicle while Genma and Nodoka watched in silence as their comrade grieved. They observed Soun as he held the child to his chest while rocking back and forth. Then, suddenly, the grieving man paused before pulling the child away from his chest. She was crying ... loudly.

"She's alive!" Soun yelled. "My baby's alive!"

Nodoka let a small smile reach her face before she glanced over to their team leader. Genma was clenching and unclenching his fists while looking up into the sky with narrowed eyes. Her questioning glance was answered when he lifted a hand to point at a large group of small objects moving away from the path of falling debris. "Enemy escape pods," she said, with a slight snarl.

"Stay here and make sure Soun doesn't do anything crazy. He's got that child to worry about now," Genma said. "I'll be right back," he added before igniting his aura and shooting off into the sky.

The bald Saiyan man's frown deepened as he got within range of his prey. He halted his ascent just above a small grouping of thin clouds before raising his hands above his head and summoning his ki into a large sphere. The bluish-white energy pulsated before it quadrupled in size. His tumultuous energy began to disrupt the atmosphere causing the harmless white clouds below him to grow dark and stormy as they expanded. "Payback's a bitch!" he shouted before heaving the sphere forward.

The large ball of Saiyan energy sped toward the enemy and pierced into the heart of their ranks before expanding into a thinly transparent bubble to contain all of them. The bubble began to discharge thousands of smaller beams that lanced through the many targets scrambling about inside of it. After a set amount of time, the entire bubble imploded and crushed whatever was left over.

Genma grinned as he panted for breath and struggled to maintain his altitude. He quickly realized that he had overdone it as he began to descend against his will. He cursed his own recklessness as he plummeted back down to earth and passed through the localized storm he had created on his way. He summoned his remaining ki and used it to slow his fall to a more manageable speed before roughly touching down near his subordinates.

Nodoka lifted a hand to fan the dust away from her face as her leader walked up to rejoin her beside Kazumi's crater. By now, Soun had stopped crying and was focusing on calming his child.

"What should we do now?" Nodoka asked.

"We'll do exactly what the rest of the survivors should be doing wherever they may be," Genma said. "We're going to fulfill our final mandate."

"Which is ...?" Nodoka prompted, folding her arms over her chest.

"We plant roots on this world and grow stronger," Genma replied. "When we leave here, it will be as Super Saiyans or not at all. That ancient power is the only thing that will allow us to defeat the plague we've brought into this galaxy. Just as our doctrine states, as long as we live, we will continue to atone for the sins of our ancestors and allow no one with the aspirations of a conqueror to impose their will on others."

"That sounds nice, but have you forgotten that there hasn't been a single Super Saiyan in the millions of years our fleet has traveled the stars?" Nodoka asked. "I hate to say it, but our race has grown weak in the wake of our revolutionary doctrine. I'm not saying that what we've been doing isn't noble, though. It's just, how can we be expected to achieve something that profound in only one lifetime?"

"Don't forget about the legend of Son Goku," Soun said, as he floated over to join the discussion with the sleeping baby in his arms.

"We're not talking about some story," Nodoka said. "This is real life and the facts are undeniable. Captain, are you really going to make us pursue an impossible goal?"

"I know how you feel, but it's our fault for allowing the invaders to follow us. We bit off more than we could chew and we have to do whatever it takes to make it right. The inhabitants of this galaxy shouldn't have to pay for our mistakes," Genma replied.

"I'm not disputing that part," she said. "I agree that it falls on us to defend this galaxy, but I think there are other ways we could go about it."

Genma sighed as he rubbed the side of his bald head. "What would you suggest?"

"Look over there," Nodoka said, pointing at the hippie man and his futile efforts to get his van restarted. "This is obviously a post-industrial society and, judging by the smell of the air, they're heavily dependant upon fossil fuel. How eager do you think the government of this primitive world would be to advance their technology beyond this point? They're undoubtedly going to be interested in uncovering and researching the tech that can be found on the enemy ships that followed us here. I say we infiltrate the ranks of these natives, and manipulate them into helping us discover all the weaknesses of our enemies."

The bald man quirked an eyebrow in intrigue as he considered the plans of his first officer. "I'll allow you to try it, as a side mission, but our primary goal should still be to improve our abilities. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Nodoka replied with a satisfied grin.

"Well, then, let's pay our final respects to Kazumi before we move on," Genma said before closing his eyes and bowing his head.

Soun and Nodoka emulated their leader. They remained silent for several minutes before a distant whining noise alerted all three of them.

"What is that?" Genma asked.

"That, my alien friends, is Uncle Sam," the hippie man said as he approached. "Even though you guys are kinda scary, I can tell you're not bad folks. The best advice I can give you is to avoid them and lay low. If you can help me get my van started, I'll take you into town. You guys are more than welcome to crash at my place for a while."

"We'd appreciate it," Nodoka answered before either of her comrades could.

"What are you doing?" Genma asked.

"Implementing the first phase of my plan," Nodoka replied. "Let's get Kazumi's body into one of our pods and have them follow us under cloak. We'll set her pod to auto-destruct."

"Fine," Genma conceded.

-- -- -- -- --

"So ... what's your name, anyway?" Nodoka asked the hippie man, from the back seat, as she watched the scenery pass by.

"My parents like to call me Steven, but I go by Apollo now. It used to be my call sign when I was still in the service."

"Ah, a military man?" Genma said, glancing over to the driver from his spot in the front passenger seat.

"Yes, sir. I used to be a pilot in the air force before ... well, it was a long time ago. What about you guys? It's obvious you're in some sort of air, err ... space force or something. What planet are you from? Mars?"

"We're actually-"

"Our planet was destroyed a very long time ago," Nodoka said, after clearing her throat. "We'd actually be interested to hear about this planet and its inhabitants if you'd like to share anything."

"Of course! You guys are gonna be my new roomies after all," Steve said. "Well, for starters, this is Earth and I'm a human. At least ... I think I'm human. You never really can tell these days ..."

"Wait, what did you just say?" Soun asked, perking up.

"You never really can-"

"No, before that," Soun said in annoyance.

"Uh ... this is Earth and I'm a human?"

"That's it," Soun pointed out. "You said 'Earth'. Is that the name of this planet?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" Steve asked.

"Captain, Commander," Soun said, addressing his fellow Saiyans. "Do you realize the importance of this information? If Earth really exists ..."

"... Then the legend must be true," Genma finished. "Son Goku ... this is where it all started. No, it's too convenient to be true."

"Maybe not," Nodoka, the usual skeptic, suggested. "I mean, think about it. Out of all of the planets in all of the systems we've visited in our long history, we've never encountered a single one named Earth. Granted, the odds of us stumbling onto this place are astronomical, but what if it isn't mere coincidence? I can't believe I just said that," she added after a moment.

"If it's true, then that's all the more reason for us to defend it," Genma said.

"Incredible," Soun said. "We're breathing the same air that he did."

"If you guys think that's good news, wait until you try a cheeseburger," Steve said.

-- -- -- xxx -- -- --

_October 10th, 1980_

_Los Angeles, California_

A white Toyota Corolla pulled into the empty driveway of a single story house at the end of a culdesac. The parking brake was pulled and the engine was cut off before Soun swung open the driver's door and stepped out. He immediately ran to the front passenger door of the car before helping his pregnant wife to her feet. The two adults then attended to the two children in the backseat.

"Hold still so I can unbuckle you, Kasumi," Soun said, trying to calm his three-year-old daughter's fidgeting.

"But I wanna hold Nabiki," Kasumi whined.

"You're too little to hold her. You can play with her once we get inside, I promise," Soun said.

"No fair," Kasumi pouted.

Soun sighed before lifting her out of her seat and setting her on her feet outside of the car. After shutting the rear driver's door he caught his wife smiling at him as she held Nabiki in the baby carrier. "What?" he asked her.

"I love you," she said, before walking over to him and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"I love you too, Rumiko," Soun replied as he locked eyes with her. "Come on, let's get inside. We don't want to keep them waiting."

The long haired man led his family up the path to the front door and, before he had a chance to knock, it was opened by his friend Genma. The bald man hastily greeted them before ushering them inside and closing the door behind them.

"Thanks for coming," Genma said. "I could definitely use the help of someone ... more experienced with these matters."

"Of course, sir. I wouldn't miss this for anything," Soun replied. "Besides, the chance to see Commander Nodoka in such a state is unlikely to ever happen again. So, if I want to blackmail her in the future, I'll need some pictures to remind her of how bad she's sure to look."

"Soun, that's not fair and you know it," Rumiko chided after lightly slapping his shoulder.

"I never said it would be," he replied.

"Come on, I'll take you to her," Genma said, before leading his friend away and leaving the human woman to watch over the children. "She's been in labor for the last two hours. I think she could pop at any moment."

Genma stopped at the end of the hall and grabbed the handle of the door to the master bedroom before looking over his shoulder. "Let me just warn you ... be on your guard," he said before pushing the door open and walking inside.

Soun was immediately hit in the face by the flying lamp that had been intended for Genma's head.

"Stop dodging, you bastard!" Nodoka shouted as Genma jumped around the room to avoid the random objects she threw at him. "This is all your fault!"

-- -- -- -- --

Genma sighed in relief when it was all over and was happy to see his former first officer resting quietly with the twins in her arms. Ranma and Ranko were their names. He supposed it was a good thing they weren't identical as it made telling them apart much easier. He gave his new family one last glance before shutting the door to the bedroom and walking into the living room where Soun and his wife were entertaining their two children.

"So, how is she feeling?" Soun asked, as Genma took a seat on the sofa across from him.

"She's much better," Genma replied. "I think's she's close to forgiving me," he added with a stifled laugh.

"That's good, that's good," Soun said, sharing a small laugh. "What are your plans for their training?" he asked, taking a more serious tone. "My Kasumi is already proficient with most of the basics and, at her current rate, I expect she'll be able to fly before Rumiko gives birth to Akane. She's a true genius when it comes to the martial arts ... even if she does lack a strong motivation," he added.

"Hmm ... maybe your mixed heritage is having an effect on her. Anyway, I've already been thinking about their training for a while," Genma said. "And I have a proposition for you."

"Oh, really? What did you have in mind?" Soun asked.

"Even though we've been training hard, it's very possible we may not be able to reach the level of Super Saiyan. It will then fall upon our children to take up the mantle. However, if _they_ fail, it will be up to them to continue our legacy with children of their own. I suggest we plan to have my son mated with one of your daughters in the future, as a contingency," Genma said.

"Hmm ... I certainly see the logic behind those thoughts," Soun said. "Alright, then, it's a plan."

"Soun, what if-"

"It'll be okay, Rumiko," Soun said. "We know what we're doing. It's for the greater good of this planet, and all of your race, that we do this. You'll see."

Rumiko decided to keep her mouth shut, for the time being, and simply nod her head.

-- -- -- xxx -- -- --

_Six years later ..._

Genma sat in his backyard, stretched out on a lounge chair by the pool, with a half empty beer in his left hand as he watched his two children face off. They moved at impressive speeds while staying within the bounds of the yard as per his instructions. His trained eyes followed their movements precisely as they repeatedly clashed in a flurry of arms and legs. After exhausting the approach of a full-frontal-all-out assault, the siblings split apart and landed on opposite sides of the yard.

Ranma wore a smirk to match his sister's as he mirrored her stance and caught his breath. He was pleased to notice that her white gi had more grass stains on it than his own. "It's okay if you wanna give up, Ranko. I wouldn't wanna fight me either, if I was you," he said.

"Nice try," Ranko replied. "But you're outta breath, same as me."

"That's enough," Genma said, halting them with a raised hand. "Your strength and speed are good, but your form is sloppy ... the both of you. However, I'm now confident enough in your foundations to start you on flying lessons. When your mastery of the art of flight is complete, I'll begin your advanced combat training."

"Alright!" the twins yelled in excitement as they jumped into the air and clapped hands ... before falling into the pool.

Genma sighed as he shook his head in embarrassment. "What have I gotten myself into?"

-- -- -- -- --

Ranko came out of the bathroom dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, after finishing her bath, and found her brother in the living room with his head buried in the curtains of the window to their front yard. Her pigtail was still undone, allowing her spiky red mane of hair to hang free, and he stilled owed her for helping him redo his own. She silently approached from behind, with a sly grin on her face, before she yanked his head away from the window by his pigtail.

"Hey!" Ranma yelped as he fell onto his butt.

"Hahaha ... you suck!" Ranko laughed. "Now, fix my hair for me!" she demanded.

Ranma growled as he pulled himself to his feet. "Hold on a minute, would ya!? I was in the middle of something!" he said, before sticking his face back between the curtains and against the glass of the window.

Ranko exhaled a loud sigh before purposely bumping her brother aside and joining him in peering out of the window. "Whatcha lookin' at?" she asked.

After rolling his eyes, Ranma replied. "There's a big truck backed into the driveway next door. See it?"

"Yeah. Hey, are we getting new neighbors?" Ranko asked.

"I think so," Ranma replied. "So far I haven't seen any people, though."

"Why don't we just go introduce ourselves?" Ranko suggested.

"Because," Ranma reasoned. "Dad left to go do something and you know he doesn't want us going outside when nobody else is home."

"So what? It's not like he's gonna find out. We'll just be gone for a few minutes," Ranko said.

"We can't," Ranma argued.

"Come on," Ranko pleaded. "Quit acting like a wuss."

"I ain't a wuss!" Ranma protested.

"Prove it," Ranko replied with a growing smirk.

"Fine," Ranma growled. "Let's go."

-- -- -- -- --

The alien siblings stood side by side as they each raised a hand to knock on the front door of the neighboring house. After three good knocks, which left unintentional indentations, the twins waited paitiently for someone to come to the door. Several minutes passed without anything happening until, just as they were about to give up, the door swung open and they were greeted by the sight of a bespectacled woman clad in a khaki skirt and white blouse.

"Hi," the twins greeted in unison.

"We live next door and we just wanted to introduce ourselves. I'm Ranko," she said.

"I'm Ranma," he said.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you," the woman replied with a friendly smile. "My name is Kyouko Kuonji. You know, I have a little girl who's just about your age and I bet she'd like to start making friends already. Would you like to meet her?"

"Okay," the twins replied, with smiles on their faces.

"We've been the only kids on this street for as long as I can remember!" Ranko said enthusiastically.

"I'm sure you'll all have fun together," Kyouko replied. "Ukyo! Come over here, please!"

"Coming mom!"

"Oh, by the way, where are your parents?" Kyouko asked the duo.

"Our Mom is at work and Dad went-"

"Into the attic!" Ranko finished, cutting her brother off. Ranma gave her a strange look, but she just elbowed him in the side before continuing. "It's his day off and he said it was okay for us to come over here while he was up there moving boxes around."

"Oh, okay then. I didn't think you would be left home alone, but I was just curious. You two are surprisingly well behaved, for your age, aren't you?" Kyouko observed.

Ranma fought the urge to roll his eyes as Ranko wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed hard enough to keep him quiet while she laughed nervously. "Heh, heh, that's right! Mom and Dad are always saying how lucky they are to have kids as good as us!" Ranko replied as she lied through her teeth.

At that same moment, another six year-old girl walked up behind Kyouko and joined them. She had long brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail and was clad in a somewhat boyish ensemble composed of baggy black shorts and an oversized blue t-shirt. She visually identified the similarly dressed boy and girl before lowering her head to disguise the blush she felt. "Yes, mother?" she asked shyly.

Kyouko knelt down and ushered her daughter forward with a gentle nudge from her hand. "These are our new neighbors, Ukyo. This is Ranko and her brother Ranma. Say hello."

Ukyo lifted her head slightly to speak to them. "Um ... hi," she greeted, finding it hard to take her eyes off of Ranma.

"Don't be shy, dear," Kyouko said, rubbing her back. "They want to be your friends, isn't that right?"

The twins nodded and smiled before Ranko spoke up. "It's okay, we don't bite," she said.

"Shut up, Sis," Ranma said. "Look, you're already scaring her. Hey, don't worry 'bout her, okay? She just likes to joke around a lot. Will you be friends with us?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, I'd like that," Ukyo replied.

"Cool!" Ranma said.

"Wonderful," Kyouko said, clasping her hands together. "Why don't we kick off this new friendship by inviting you in for some of our home cooking? My husband's a great chef and he actually just opened up a restaurant in town. He's inside making us lunch right now. Do you like okonomiyaki?"

"Okono-what?" The twins asked.

"I'm sorry, I just assumed you came from Japan too," Kyouko said. "It's kind of like ... pizza, but with different toppings."

"Pizza!? We love pizza!" the duo exclaimed as they jumped up and down.

-- -- -- -- --

Genma grimaced as he raised a hand to knock on the same door his children had left marks on less than an hour earlier. _'I told those brats to stay put for a reason. Maybe I should have told them I can sense their movements from far away _...' he mentally grumbled as he waited to be greeted. He placed one hand in a pocket of his grey slacks and used the other to adjust the buttons of his black polo shirt in an effort to appear more casual.

"Oh, hello, can I help you?" Kyouko asked, after opening the door.

"Yeah, hi," Genma greeted her with a stone face. "I'm here to pick up my children."

"Oh, you must be Mr. Saotome. It's a pleasure to meet you," she greeted with a smile. "Please, come inside and join us. We're eating some of my husband's famous okonomiyaki right now. Are you hungry?"

"Okono-what?" Genma asked, before his nose detected the wonderous scent of the aforementioned dish.

"I guess you guys really aren't from Japan. It's a variation of pizza," she supplied.

"Pizza!? I love pizza!" Genma replied before allowing the human woman to usher him inside.

-- -- -- -- --

"I'm home," Nodoka called out as she shut the front door behind her.

"We're in the kitchen," Genma called in reply.

Nodoka shrugged off her beige trench coat and removed her crisp hat before hanging both articles on the coat rack beside the entry way. She then used one hand to loosen the tie that kept her hair in a neat bun while her other hand unbuttoned the blazer of her military dress uniform as she walked toward the kitchen. When she walked in, her blazer was open and her hair was down. She was surprised to find the rest of her family gathered anxiously around the oven as the timer slowly counted down.

"What are you all doing?" Nodoka asked.

"Reheating leftovers," Genma replied in a monotone voice, without breaking the trance-like gaze he had locked onto the oven window.

"Oooookaaay ...." Nodoka drawled, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I've got some good news. I was just promoted today. My security clearance has been increased to a new level. Now I'll be able to transfer over to more sensitive projects. I'm getting closer, Genma. At this rate, I'll have access to what we need before this decade is over."

"Uh-huh ..."

"Are you even listening?"

"Uh-huh ..."

Nodoka sighed in frustration. "Whatever. Hey, kids, how about we order pizza to celebrate my promotion?"

"Uh-huh ..." the twins replied.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Nodoka demanded.

"O-ko-no-mi-ya-ki ..." all three of them replied slowly.

-- -- -- xxx -- -- --

_Six months later ..._

Ukyo sat on top of the brick wall that separated her backyard from the Saotome yard and let her legs dangle freely as she watched her two best friends spar with each other. She had consistently been left awed ever since the first time she started watching the siblings test their skills against each other. Sure, her father's side of her family had incorporated a unique style of martial arts into their method of cooking, but it was nowhere near the intensity of the Saotome family style. She sometimes found herself wondering if they were from outer space, even though she knew how impossible it sounded.

"Get her Ranma!" Ukyo cheered as she clapped her hands together.

Ranma twisted his body in the air, slowing down just enough to show off, before forcing his sister to block his powerful downward axe kick from landing atop her head. She was able to stop his foot from connecting with her skull, but the force of it still knocked her into the pool. Ranma landed on a section of pavement surrounding the pool before breaking out in laughter.

Ranko quickly resurfaced and glared at her brother before suddenly grinning. "Oh, brother ..." she called in a sing-song voice before slapping the water with both of her hands to create a large splash that left him thoroughly soaked.

Ukyo was overcome with laughter shortly before falling off of her seat and landing on her face in the grass which, in turn, spurred more laughter from the two Saotomes. The Kounji girl pushed herself off of the ground and spit out a chunk of grass. "Ugh ... nasty ..."

A moment of silence passed before all three burst into laughter.

-- -- -- -- --

Ukyo tried not to stare as her two friends inhaled excessive amounts of the leftover okonomiyaki she had brought over as they all sat around their dining room table. She had quickly learned to come prepared with stacks of her family specialty to try and meet their nearly insatiable appetites. She was just lucky that neither of their parents were around at the moment, which was another thing that she found odd. Both of her friends' parents seemed to have little concern for leaving their children unsupervised but, when she asked the twins about it, they just told her that their parents knew what they were doing. She supposed she was lucky that her own parents had come to trust the Saotomes enough to let her visit them at her own discretion and keep them company, lest they drive each other insane.

"So," Ukyo started. "I still don't know what your parents do for jobs. I mean, I see your dad around a lot so I guess he doesn't do much, but I hardly ever see your mom."

"Eh, she does what your mom does ... sort of," Ranma said, in between bites.

"You mean she's a scientist too?" Ukyo asked.

"We're not really sure," Ranko supplied. "But she does do top-secret stuff that she's not allowed to talk about ... just like your mom, except she's not a civilian. She's in the army or something."

"Oh ..." Ukyo replied. "That's pretty cool."

"I guess ..." Ranko replied. "It kinda sucks not getting to see her a lot, but our dad is real good about keeping us busy with martial arts."

"Yeah, he says we're gonna be the best the world has ever seen when he's done teaching us," Ranma said. "And, you know what? I'm gonna be even better than Ranko."

"Will not!" she protested.

"Will too!" he replied.

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Will too!" Ranko yelled.

"Will not- hey, that's not fair," Ranma said, glaring at her.

"It's not my fault you're too stupid to keep up with me," Ranko said as she grinned proudly.

"Humpf ... whatever. At least I can still beat you in a fight," Ranma said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Not for long," Ranko retorted.

"You guys ..." Ukyo started as she let a broad smile fall onto her face. "I hope we stay friends forever."

"Ah, come on, Ucchan," Ranma said. "You know nothin' is ever gonna get between us. Ain't that right, Sis?"

"You better believe it," she agreed with a nod.

-- -- -- xxx -- -- --

_Tendo Residence_

_Pasadena, California_

Soun flipped several large steaks on the grill before closing the lid and returning to his lawn chair. He wore an amused grin on his face as he watched his two youngest daughters attempt to keep up with Kasumi as she burned through an advanced kata on the other end of the backyard. It was quite entertaining to watch them stumble through the moves that required more finesse than they currently possessed. His smile dimmed somewhat as he was reminded of Nabiki's deficiencies when she tripped over her own feet and face-planted into the grass. Even though the seven year-old had been born without a tail or a decent power level, he had hoped that she would eventually catch up with the proper amount of conditioning. After all, it had been mutually agreed between he and his comrades that it was for the best to have their tails removed to more easily blend in but, aside from temporary balance issues, none of them had been adversely affected. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to ignore Nabiki's growing frustrations. He feared she would inevitably give up altogether if she lost confidence in herself. He couldn't really blame her, though. It would be tough on any young girl to live in the shadow of her prodigal older sister while still watching her baby sister slowly surpass her in nearly every aspect.

Akane was, undeniably, a prime example of a well-balanced hybrid. She possessed both the strength and fighting spirit of a Saiyan, whereas Kasumi favored pacifism. Whether it was because of her problematic birth or the mixed blood he had passed on to her, he couldn't be sure. Nevertheless, Kasumi would likely never be outdone by her youngest sister. Even though she preferred non-violent resolutions to situations, she was the only one of either his or Genma's children that currently knew the truth about everything regarding her heritage and what they were up against. She held her sense of duty and family honor above all else. Because of that, Soun knew she would continue to relentlessly pursue a higher level of ability until the time came for her to defend her new home. Unfortunately, the stress of keeping such knowledge a secret had clearly taken a toll on the social development of her young mind. Whether intentional or not, she had crafted two distinct emotional masks to wear when dealing with life. Her most common facade was that of an ever cheerful, and peacefully oblivious, domestic girl. She used that guise to put everyone around her at ease in order to maintain as serene an environment as possible. Her other mask was of an introverted and stoic nature, reserved for times when she was focused on training her body or mind. Soun dreaded the inevitable day when she would no longer be able to keep her stronger emotions suppressed, for he didn't know what she would then be capable of. He deeply regretted having exposed her at such a young age and, as such, Genma took heed of his advice to wait until the right time to share everything with his own children.

He sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Such thoughts always left him with a headache. He was brought out of his musings when he heard shouts of "Daddy!!!" and "It's burning!". It took a moment for his thoughts to make the connection but, as soon as he did, he was out of his seat and tending to what was left of the steaks. When it became apparent that they were beyond salvaging, he hung his head in defeat. He closed the lid before turning to look back at his daughters and shaking his head slowly.

The middle Tendo sighed, loudly. "I knew we should've waited until Mom got home," she said. "You shouldn't be allowed to prepare meals without supervision."

"I was going to surprise her," Soun replied.

"Hey, how come Momma isn't home yet?" Akane asked.

"She had an interview for a higher position at her job today," Kasumi supplied. "It must have gone well, otherwise she would have been home by now."

"That's exactly why I wanted to treat her to some of my home cooking," Soun said. "She deserves to have a break while we celebrate for her."

Nabiki looked incredulous. "You call this a celebration?" she asked. "If you wanna show Mom a good time, I say we take her out to a fancy restaurant and eat everything on the menu."

"Yeah, yeah! That sounds good!" Akane cheered as she jumped up and down in excitement.

"It would certainly be more pleasant than taking further risks with your cooking, Father," Kasumi said.

"Kasumi, not you too! You're supposed to be on my side," Soun said as he embellished how shocked he was that she would insult his culinary skills. "Alright, I'll tell you what. You girls go get changed into something less torn up and I'll make some calls to see if I can get us reservations somewhere nice. Sound good?"

"Very good, Father. Mother will be pleased," Kasumi replied with a sunny smile.

"Yeah!" Akane yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Wonderful," Nabiki sighed. "But can we bring a muzzle for Akane?"

"Daddy, what's a muzzle?" Akane asked.

Soun chuckled lightly before ushering his girls into the house. "I'll tell you later, Akane."

"Okay!" she chirped enthusiastically.

"Alright, run along and get dressed now," Soun said after sliding the patio door shut.

The girls darted off to their rooms without a word while Soun walked into the kitchen and grabbed the phone book from a drawer. He set the thick yellow book on the counter before flipping it open and skimming to the restaurant listings. After finding what he wanted, he reached a hand out to grab the phone, but it began ringing before he could start dialing. "Hello?" he asked, after lifting the receiver to his ear.

_**"Hello. May I speak with a Mister Soun Tendo?"**_ a male voice asked.

"That's me," Soun replied. "To whom am I speaking?"

_**"My apologies, sir. My name is Jonas Reinbach. I'm an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. At this time, I'd like to confirm if you are indeed the husband of Rumiko Tendo ... date of birth, February twelfth, nineteen-sixty-one ... maiden name, Takayanagi?"**_

"What is this all about?" Soun demanded. "Did you arrest my wife? I know, for a fact, that she's not a criminal."

_**"Please confirm for me, sir. I'll be more than willing to fill you in afterward."**_

"Yes, that's correct," Soun replied through gritted teeth. "Now, _please_, kindly tell me what business you have with my wife?"

_**"Sir, I'm afraid I have bad news about your wife. She was gunned down by a thief, earlier this evening, while paying for fuel at the Texaco gas station across the street from her job. She was transported to the hospital in critical condition. If you have a pen and paper handy, I'll give you the address and phone number of the facility."**_

Soun's jaw fell slightly as his eyes began to water. "G-Give me a ... moment."

_**"Certainly, sir. Please take your time."**_

The Saiyan man remained silent as he used his free hand to fumble with the drawer before withdrawing a pen and tablet. "Okay ... I'm ready."

Soun began frantically scribbling the notes down as tears began to streak his face. Unbeknownst to him, Kasumi stood silently in the hallway just out of sight. Her eyes were watering too. She silently cursed her highly acute senses for allowing her to overhear the conversation. Her father quickly finished writing and dropped the pen before speaking to the man over the phone again.

"O-Officer ... may I ask ... did you catch her assailant?" Soun asked as he struggled to keep his voice from cracking.

_**"I'm sorry, sir. They haven't caught the guy yet and, as far as I know, half of the precinct has joined in the car chase to keep it from getting out of hand. If you'd like, I can give you a call as soon we have him in custody."**_

"N-No, that's okay. We'll probably be at the ... hospital all night," Soun said.

_**"Very well, sir. Once again, I'd like to apologize. I dislike having to deliver bad news to good people and, from what I heard, I can tell that your wife is very brave. She saved the clerk's life."**_

"Thank you ... Officer ... will that be all?" Soun asked.

_**"Yes, sir."**_

"G-Good evening then," Soun replied before hanging up.

After tearing away the sheet of paper he had written on from the tablet, he noticed faint sounds coming from the living room. When he moved in to investigate, he found the television tuned in to a news station covering the freeway pursuit, but the living room was empty. He sighed before switching it off and walking down the hall to where the girls' bedrooms were. "Girls," he called. "There's been a change of plans. We're not going out to eat."

"What?" both Akane and Nabiki yelled, after yanking the doors to their bedrooms open. "Why?"

"Hey, where's your sister?" Soun asked them, noticing Kasumi's obvious absence.

-- -- -- -- --

Strong wind blew the tears down Kasumi's face as she sliced through the evening sky, high above Los Angeles county. Her red-rimmed eyes were locked onto the freeway far below her as she visually scanned the length for the group of police cars she knew would be chasing her target. After another minute, she spotted the flashing red and blue lights. Immediately ahead of the squad cars was the white pick-up truck she was looking for. She narrowed her eyes as she twisted her body and moved herself onto a descending path.

"What the!?" the shaggy haired driver yelped as his truck was suddenly rocked, forcing him to counter steer to avoid losing control. He glanced into his rear view mirror and spotted movement in the bed of the truck. When he twisted his body halfway around, he goggled when he saw the face of a young girl glaring at him before somehow digging her hands into the metal roof. His jaw dropped when he felt the vehicle leave the pavement and float into the air.

Kasumi held tight as she hefted the small pick-up and carried it high above the clouds, quickly bypassing the few news choppers, all while ignoring the fearful shouts of the driver. When she reached a suitable altitude, she released her grip and quickly ripped off the driver's side door before grabbing the man by his collar. The truck fell away from them as she kept them aloft.

"What the fuck!?" the man screamed as he flailed his arms and legs. "This is impossible!"

"Why did you do it!?" Kasumi screamed at him as her tears flowed freely.

"I didn't do nothing, I swear!" the man shouted, staring the girl in the eyes so as to avoid looking down.

"Don't lie to me!" Kasumi shouted. "I hate liars!"

"Look, just put me down so we can talk about this, eh kid?"

"If that's what you want," she said in a cold voice, before releasing her hold on him and watching him fall.

"Nooooooooooo!!!" the man screamed as he fell into the clouds.

Kasumi waited several seconds before diving below the clouds and catching the man by the back of his hoody. With two hands firmly gripping the fabric, she rocketed away at a high speed before the helicopters could spot them. Within minutes, she arrived at the nearest cluster of mountains and angled her flight to take them down into the trees. When she got low enough, she swung the man around and tossed him onto the dirt before touching down beside where he landed. She stalked slowly over to her adoptive mother's attacker as he crawled away from her on his back.

"Get away from me, demon!" the man shouted before backing into a tree.

"There's nowhere left for you to run, you filth!" Kasumi shouted. "I am your end!" she screamed, trying hopelessly to distract herself from crying.

She quickly shot a hand out and grabbed him by the neck before pressing him against the tree. She squeezed hard enough to make him suffer, but not enough to kill him instantly. Kasumi closed her eyes and listened to the gurgling sounds he made as he ran out of breath. Just as she had raised her other hand and begun charging up a lethal concentration of ki, her focus was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Kasumi!" Soun yelled as he touched down behind her. "Stop this! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Stay back, Father!" Kasumi shouted, turning her glowing ball of energy in his direction. "I have to do this! I won't let you, or anyone else, stop me!"

"Listen to yourself! You're out of control! You don't need to do this!" Soun pleaded. "Your mother is still alive! She may still pull through!"

"I don't believe you!" Kasumi replied. "She's not like us, Father! She's weak! This man deserves to die for what he's done! Would you rather let him run free and hurt someone else's mother!?"

"I ..." Soun's words died as he thought about it. "No, we can't do this! Let the cops have him. Let them bring about justice their way!"

"No!" she shouted. "They don't know justice! If I don't take it now, Mother will never have it! My real mother never had justice either, did she!? I've been able to see into your dreams for a while now, Father. Did you just stand by and do nothing while she died too!? Huh!? Answer me!!!"

Tears ran down Soun's face as he hung his head low. "I loved your mother ..." he said.

"Then how could you let her die!?" Kasumi asked. "You're a coward! Get away from me," she growled. "Get away from me now!" she screamed before shooting off her ball of energy at her father's feet. "I don't want to hurt you but, if you don't get away, I don't know what I'll do ..."

Soun took several steps back before floating a few feet off of the ground and putting a few meters of distance between them.

Kasumi replaced the ball of ki she had just spent and turned back to face the man whose throat she still held. When she set her eyes back onto him, she was surprised to find that she had already strangled him to death by accident. Her jaw hung open in shock as she stared into his bulging blood-shot eyes that still held traces of fear. She abruptly released her grip before she leaned away from him and emptied the contents of her stomach onto the ground while sobbing out loud.

-- -- -- xxx -- -- --

_One week later ..._

Soun kneeled on the grass beside Rumiko's grave as the spring breeze caused a shower of flower petals to fall all around him. He shed tears in silence as his left hand touched the cold granite of her tombstone.

_'Here lies Rumiko Tendo, beloved wife, mother, and hero. May she rest in peace.'_

The widower dragged himself to his feet and tilted his head up to stare into the sky. He stayed like that for several minutes before abruptly shooting off into the sky without even bothering to make sure no one saw him.

-- -- -- -- --

Kasumi sat alone in the living room, resting on the sofa, as she used the tv remote to flip through different channels in an attempt to keep her mind off of other things. She stopped when she caught sight of something on a news bulletin. They were broadcasting a low-quality video of her carrying that truck into the air. Her jaw dropped slightly before she upped the volume.

_"As you can see here, Reg, there appears to be a person holding onto the roof of the vehicle as it ascends into the sky. Now, if we pause it right about ... there, it actually looks like this person is carrying the weight of the truck," a young man's voice said._

_"Fascinating," an older sounding man's voice replied. "And have we been able to prove that is isn't some sort of hoax?"_

_"Actually, before the cheif of police intervened, we received statements from several of the officers who were involved in the chase. A few of them insisted that they saw a little girl fall out of the sky and land in the bed of the truck before clearly latching onto it and somehow flying away with it," the younger voice said. "I think maybe this could be related to the recent rumors regarding the existence of a mutated human population."_

_"Most people, including myself, would find it extremely difficult to entertain that theory," the older voice replied. "If I remember correctly, didn't those rumors originate from the tabloid newspaper National Enquirer? Furthermore, weren't those police officers you interviewed placed on probation pending psychological evaluation? I mean, how can we take them seriously now that we know they have little to no credibility?"_

_"That's just it," the younger voice said. "Don't you find it suspiciously convenient that every officer who shared their story was pulled from active duty? This whole thing reeks of a conspiracy."_

_"Okay, it appears we're out of time for now," the older voice said. "We'll be right back after the break. This is Reginald Sawyer with channel nine news. Stay tuned."_

Kasumi sighed as she finally understood what was happening. The same people who implemented the cover up of the alien ships that fell when her parents arrived must've been doing the same thing in this instance. However, for reasons she couldn't explain, she was overcome with a sense of foreboding.


	2. Chapter 2

_**NOTE:**_ _Thank you to those few of you who have reviewed, favorited, and alerted this story. To show my appreciation, I will list the names of those who have shown support thus far._

_Rey6, haven, firemaster101, Redzorin, Radio Driver, EPJ III, Shin-Revan, Killer-Kobloods, Sexy Neko Hibiki, Mei-kun, Wolvenstrom, Daeron Blackoak, Ferail, John Tannius, killroy777, ranma-saotome-cursed-fighter, really-great-noodles1, WAMcGuire, Dath Trinkle_

_I know not everyone will be satisfied with the way I am writing this and I'm open to constructive criticism as well as any creative suggestions people may have, so long as they don't stray too far from the storyline that I've already established. Once again, thank you all._

Disclaimer: The only elements of this story that are actually mine are the plot and my own clunky writing style, lol. Anyway, the rest comes from somewhere else.

_**Illegal Aliens**_

_**Chapter Two:**_

_**Public Enemy**_

- - - xxx - - -

_Kuonji Residence_

_Los Angeles, California_

Ukyo sat on one of the swings in her backyard, while facing the wall, as she spaced out in thought. She had known for a few days already that her two friends were leaving to go on a trip around the world with their father and, although she had practically begged, Mr. Saotome had made it very clear that she could not join them ... not to mention her own parents' flat-out refusal made it impossible. With no other available options left to consider, she was forced to face the reality of being without them for an indeterminable length of time. It wasn't really fair, in her opinion. They had become quite popular amongst the other kids at school, as a group. Having the twins as friends had played a pivotal role in boosting her otherwise non-existent confidence and she feared that, in their absence, she would fall back upon her instinctual loner tendencies. After all, not even a year had passed since her family had become neighbors to the Saotomes. It was a real possibility that they would be the last friends she ever made. On top of that, and of the most importance, was her crush on Ranma. She had been consistently making attempts to tell him how she felt for the past few months but, every time she got him alone, the words never came out. Now, here she was ... sulking in a corner on the last day instead of saying her farewells to her best friends and taking one more shot at confessing to Ranma. Moments like this just fueled her need to exercise her skills in amateur-level self loathing.

"Ukyo!" her mother called from within the house. "Your friends are here to see you! They want to say goodbye to you before they leave!"

She perked up a bit upon hearing that her friends hadn't forgotten about her, but she quickly deflated. As much as she wanted to run over to them and say her goodbyes, she didn't think she would be able to face them without crying. Thus, she was left to do the only thing she could think of at the moment. She abandoned her seat on the swing before scaling the ladder attached to the slide beside it, accidentally tearing off the bottom part of her pant-leg in the process, and jumped over the wall into the alley behind her house. After bouncing off of an abandoned mattress, and losing one of her shoes, she rolled onto her feet and took off running in a random direction.

Several minutes later, Kyouko walked into the backyard with Ranma and Ranko in tow. Each child was clad in a matching white gi. "Ukyo, stop hiding and come say goodbye to your friends!" Kyouko called.

As they walked around the yard, Ranko spotted Ukyo's torn pant-leg hanging off of the top of the slide's ladder and pointed it out. Kyouko immediately ran over to inspect it and, after a moment, peered over the wall behind it where she spotted one of her daughter's shoes laying by a mattress in the alley.

"Oh, my God, I think she ran away," Kyouko said in a panicked voice. "I'm going inside to call the police!" she added as she dashed back toward the house.

The Saiyan twins shared a curious glance with each other before nodding and leaping over the wall.

Genma exited the sporting goods outlet, with a hefty supply of camping gear in his cart, and was forced to squint as the low hanging evening sun shined into his eyes. He mentally berated himself for wasting so much time inside that accursed store but, damn it, they had so much to choose from that he had been quickly overwhelmed! He checked his watch as he wheeled the cart over to his Honda station wagon. The digital display read 6:30pm. He had roughly half an hour to get home, get the kids packed up, and be ready to fly out when the sun went down. He sighed before popping the hatch and quickly loading his collective purchase into the car. Within minutes, he was behind the wheel and on the road home.

As he rounded a corner, he was forced to slam on the breaks to stop from hitting a black van, and the two kids who where chasing it on foot, as it ran a stop sign to cut through the intersection. He did a double take when he realized it had been his children engaged in the foot pursuit. Grumbling, he let off of the clutch and accelerated to catch up with his wayward brats. He pulled up along side them and rolled down his window before catching their attention.

"What the hell do you think you're doing running at fifty miles per hour in public?" Genma scolded while dividing his attention between them and the road. "Hurry up and get in the car before anyone else spots you!"

"Sorry, Dad, we can't," Ranko said. "At least we're not flying," she added.

"I can sense Ucchan in that van," Ranma said as he pointed ahead of them. "We think she tried to run away and got picked up by kidnappers."

Genma's left eyelid twitched. He hated having to always clean up the messes his children made of things. "Fine," he sighed out loud. He stuck his left hand out of the window and leveled his index finger at the van before discharging a tightly focused beam of ki at one of it's rear tires. The tire promptly blew, causing the van to skid out of control before knocking over a fire-hydrant and slamming into a tree.

"Thanks!" Ranma said with a salute before leaping over to the wreckage.

Genma sighed as he slowed to a halt behind the scene and turned on his hazard lights before exiting the vehicle.

"I can't believe we didn't think of doing that first," Ranko said as she walked up beside her brother while staring at the flat tire.

"What do you expect? You're not even seven yet," Genma said as he joined them in front of the van's rear doors. "Well, are you going to rescue her or do I have to do that too?" he asked as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Naw, I got this," Ranma said before grabbing both handles and ripping the doors from their hinges. "Ucchan!"

"Ranma!" Ukyo gasped as she glomped him. "I'm sorry! I just couldn't say goodbye 'cause I don't want you to go! Please don't go! I like you too much!" she confessed as she buried her face into his shoulder.

Ranma was at a loss for words. "Uh ..." he drawled as he glanced over to his sister for any sign of advice. He rolled his eyes when all she did was shrug. "Ucchan ... I like you too. You're my best friend."

Ukyo removed her face from his gi and sniffled. "Only your best friend ...?" she asked.

"What else is there?" Ranma asked, clueless of the meaning behind his friend's question. "Look, just because we're leaving ... don't think that we won't miss you too. Remember what we promised ... friends forever?"

Ukyo nodded, smiling fondly, as she recalled.

"We're gonna come back, I promise," Ranma said.

"Oh no you don't!" Genma yelled as he quickly knocked the driver unconscious before he had a chance to run away. He dragged the man back by the scruff of his collar before depositing him in the steadily growing puddle of the hydrant. "Okay, children," he said. "Play time's over. Someone is bound to have called the cops, so we should get out of here before any curious people start showing up to ask us questions."

"Don't you ever, _ever, _do that again, you hear me?" Kyouko said as she tightly embraced her daughter. "Do you know how worried I was?"

"Sorry," Ukyo replied before her mother set her down and looked at her with teary eyes.

"Where did you find her?" Kyouko asked as she glanced up at Genma and his kids.

"Er ... she was at the park," Genma lied. "Yeah, that's it. Uh, we really should be going. We're already behind schedule."

"Well, I guess I'm in your debt until you return, then," Kyouko said.

"Think nothing of it," Genma hurriedly replied. "Come along children. Oh and, Ukyo, listen to your mother and stay out of trouble, okay?"

Ukyo nodded and waved goodbye to her friends before they departed from her house.

- - - xxx - - -

_May 8th, 1993_

_Czech Republic, Prague_

Ranko rolled over, in her sleeping bag, and cracked one eye open to see the back of her brother's head as he snored peacefully on his side of the tent. She extended her senses to make sure that their father was also asleep in his own tent. Once she was satisfied, she slid out of her sleeping bag, still clothed in her gi, before crawling a few feet and unzipping the entrance to the tent. She breathed in the cool night air as she looked beyond the canopy of trees and saw a few stars peeking through. She smiled before giving her brother one last glance and then stepped out. She closed the tent back up before stealthily tip-toe-ing away from their campsite while suppressing her ki signature as low as it would go.

The spot in the park they had chosen to hide in was relatively secluded but, as the plant life started to thin out, she caught sight of one of the two-manned night shift patrols doing their rounds. She ducked behind a bush and waited patiently for them to move on. As they passed, she let out a silent sigh of relief just before a twig snapped under the weight of her feet. Suddenly there was a flashlight pointed in her direction. She held her breath for several seconds until a pair of squirrels scampered out of a neighboring bush and ran across the path of the two men. They shrugged before resuming their walk.

The red head crept out from behind the bush before breaking into a silent sprint across the field of grass ahead of her. Since she knew flight would use enough ki to alert her two sleeping family members, she settled for a long leap that carried her above the trees and beyond the park boundaries. She twisted acrobatically before landing solidly on the roof of a nearby hotel. She then glanced back toward the park and gave a two fingered salute before bounding over to the next rooftop. She traversed the highway of buildings with speed and grace until she spotted who she was looking for sitting by a fountain in a rooftop garden. She whistled before purposely extending the air time of her final leap, as a show off, before landing gracefully in front of the blonde boy and smiling at him.

The blonde boy, who appeared to be only one or two years older than her, clapped his hands as he stood up. "That was exsquisite, Ranko. You truly are a vision of beauty and grace," he said with a slight accent.

Ranko blushed as she tried to suppress her giggle. "Oh, it's nothing special, but do you really think I'm beautiful?" she asked.

The boy nodded and smiled. "Yes, I do. You are an exotic beauty," he clarified. "I have never seen such vibrant red hair on any other girl. Nor have I seen eyes that measure up to the depth and beauty of yours," he added. "I must confess, I have already completely fallen for you. Do you feel the same?"

"Oh, Pitor ..." Ranko said with a sad smile. "I really do like you too but ..."

"But what, my love?" Pitor asked. "If you feel as I do, then we should let nothing stand in our way," he pleaded.

"I'm sorry but, I don't think it'll work out between us. I have to leave tomorrow morning. I only came to say goodbye ..." Ranko confessed. "We're moving on to China next."

The blonde boy's expression abruptly changed from that of a soft and caring one to a deep scowl. "Then, if you won't give yourself to me, I'll take you by force," he hissed before opening his mouth wide enough to reveal a set of fangs.

Ranko was so caught off of her guard that she froze long enough for Pitor to sink his fangs into her neck and begin feasting on her powerful blood. Her instinct told her to push him away and beat the shit out of him for biting her, but her body was strangely overcome with a numbing pleasure that she found hard to resist. "What are ... you doing?" she gasped.

Pitor paused long enough to indulge her with a reply. "You will become like me and walk the earth for eternity. Together, we can rule among the other vampires as gods!" he said before resuming his work.

Ranko wanted to come back with a smart-alec retort, but found that she was suddenly feeling very limp and light headed. Her strength was slowly leaving her as the blood content of her body dropped to dangerously low levels. She knew there was little hope for her if she didn't do something quickly, though, so she fought through the numbness and managed to briefly ignite her aura before losing grasp of her ki altogether.

"What did you just do?" Pitor demanded.

"I ... called for ... backup ..." Ranko replied weakly as she mustered a smirk.

Before Pitor could even begin to comprehend what that entailed, a white blur swept through the garden and knocked him into the fountain. When he pulled himself out of the water he glanced through the wet hair hanging in front of his eyes to see Ranko's two travel companions. The bald one held her in his arms, bridal style, while the younger one cracked his knuckles and leveled a death glare at him.

"Stupid girl," Genma muttered as he looked her in the eyes. "Have I taught you nothing?"

"How is she?" Ranma asked without taking his eyes off of the wet blonde.

"I don't know," Genma replied. "What happened to you?" he asked his daughter.

"He bit me ..." Ranko replied. "I didn't think ... vampires were real," she added.

"Say what?" the male Saiyans asked in unison.

"It is as she said," Pitor spoke, smirking as he brushed a hand through his hair. "As we speak, her body is being infected with the virus that all vampires carry. I have ensured that she will bleed to death and, after that happens, she will awaken as a member of the undead. She will be as I am and walk this earth for eternity, never to see the sunlight again."

Ranma twitched when his father broke into a fit of laughter. He certainly hadn't expected that to happen, nor had he found that last tidbit humorous in any sense. His sister's life was at stake, for crying out loud. "You!" he shouted, pointing a finger at the European vampire boy. "Undo whatever it is you did to her or, I swear, I'll tear you limb from limb and see how good vampires are at regrowing body parts!"

"I do not think you understand, imbecile," Pitor replied. "She already belongs to me. It is impossible for her to go back."

"I don't believe you!" Ranma shouted. "And will you stop laughing already, old man! None of this is funny!"

Genma's laughing calmed enough for him to reply. "Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any. I don't think I would be able to get away with holding out on you guys after this anyway."

"Hold out on us ... what?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah, what do you mean?" Ranko asked, still fighting the dizzying effects of her bite.

"You two have always known that our family was special and ... different ... from everyone else," Genma said. "What you didn't know ... is how different we actually are. You, there, vampire boy! Your pathetic attempt to assimilate my daughter will fail! Our physical strength and capacity for ki manipulation aren't the only things that make us superior. The microbiology of the Saiyan body is highly ranked among the most resilient species of the universe," he added with a smirk. "There are very few things that can overpower our advanced immune systems. Sorry to disappoint you."

Both twins' eyes widened as the implications of their father's little speech sunk in. Everything suddenly made sense to them now. The consistent warnings about keeping their abilities in check, not showing off in public, and the fact that their parents would often have private conversations about stuff they refused to repeat to the two of them ... all of it was to protect their secret.

"Whoa ..." the twins drawled in similar tones.

Pitor's half-lidded gaze told a tale of skepticism. "That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard," he said. "I have lived for nearly two-hundred years and never once seen or heard anything to validate the existence of aliens from outer space, but, I suppose, your psychosis is none of my business. When her transformation is complete, she will seek me out of her own volition. Until then, my love," he said, bowing in Ranko's direction. "Farewell," he added before crouching in preparation to leap.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" Ranma asked after dashing over to the vampire and clamping his right hand down onto the boy's left shoulder before he could jump away. "I still owe you for biting my sister, remember?" he said as he squeezed a little harder.

Pitor bared his fangs and hissed before using his right hand to grab the wrist of the pigtailed boy who was attempting to crush his shoulder. "Remove the hand before I break your arm," he said.

"Try it," Ranma goaded.

Pitor obliged him and applied the amount of strength he knew was needed to break bones. He furrowed his brow when he failed to make any progress.

"Do you get it now, _sucker_?" Ranma asked, with a confident smirk on his face. "I'm out of your league by a long shot. Yo, old man, can I?"

"Go ahead," Genma replied. "But make it quick, will you? Ranko needs a break and I don't want to have to pack up the campsite all by myself."

"Sure thing," Ranma replied before returning his attention to the blonde undead. "Hey, Vamps, you up for a ride?" he asked. "'Cause I hear sunrises in the Himalayas are a sight to behold," he added.

Without waiting for the blonde's reaction, Ranma tightened his grip on the other boy before igniting his aura and launching the both of them into the sky. The father and daughter duo sighed at the same time as they watched Ranma carry the doomed vampire into the eastern sky before disappearing above the clouds.

"Say ... how long do you think he was saving up that 'sucker' pun?" Ranko asked her father after a moment.

"Probably from the very beginning," Genma replied, shaking his head in embarrassment. "I hope you've at least learned something from this incident. You're almost too old to still be getting bailed out by your father."

"Oh, I've definitely learned my lesson alright," Ranko replied. "If I never, ever, hear another pretty boy confess his love for me, before attempting to suck on any part of my body, it'll be too soon. From now on, I'll stick to dating girls," she added with a firm nod.

Genma sweat-dropped.

- - - xxx - - -

_Hill View Middle School_

_Pasadena, California_

The two youngest Tendo sisters stood under a tree near a parking lot in front of the school as they watched the last bus depart. They watched as several more cars rolled into the lot to pick up the last of their fellow students who had been waiting nearly as long as they had. Nabiki sighed audibly as she leaned back against the tree. Akane wore a pitiful expression on her face.

"He's probably just stuck in traffic somewhere ..." Akane suggested hopefully.

"Just shut up, Akane," Nabiki said. "If he was going to show up, he would've been here by now. I told you he was unreliable. We should have taken the bus when we still had the chance. Come on, let's start walking," she added before stepping away from the tree.

"Hold it right there, Nabiki!" an angry voice called out.

Nabiki glanced over her shoulder to see who had addressed her. A brown haired boy in jeans and a Nirvana t-shirt was running toward her with a scowl on his face. He had a crumpled piece of paper in his left hand.

"Ah, it's you," Nabiki said. "Why are you still here?"

"I failed the damned test!" the boy shouted as he threw the piece of paper at Nabiki's feet. "Those notes were useless! I want my money back right now!" he demanded.

"No can do," Nabiki replied. "You know I don't do refunds. Besides, those notes were top notch. I can't be held responsible if someone is too stupid to understand them. Better luck next time, pal," Nabiki said before turning back to her sister. "Let's go, Akane. If we leave now, we might make it home in time for the Simpsons."

"You're not leaving until I get my money back," the boy growled after grabbing onto Nabiki's right arm and squeezing it.

"Let go of my sister," Akane said as she glared at the boy.

"It's okay, Sis," Nabiki said. "Even for someone like me, this guy is no match," she added before thrusting her arm back to elbow the guy in his chest.

The boy stumbled back several feet before tripping on an exposed tree root and falling onto his backside. He glared up at the thirteen year old Tendo as she looked upon him with half-lidded eyes. His glare shifted into a smirk as he pulled himself to his feet and dusted himself off. "You're pretty strong, aren't you? Of all the people in this school, you're the last person I expected ... to be a mutant."

Nabiki quirked an eyebrow in amusement before she glanced at her sister. Akane answered her look with a non-chalant shrug. "What if I am?" Nabiki queried. "Do you still intend to challenge my decision on refunds?"

The boy laughed derisively before pointing an index finger at her. "You think you're the only one?" he asked as his skin began to take on a translucent glow. He spread his arms apart as electricity began to dart between his two open palms. "This is your last warning. Refund my money or suffer my wrath."

"No deal," Nabiki replied firmly. She was immediately forced to bring up her forearms in a defensive cross as a ball of electricity was thrown at her. She winced as the ball impacted and crackled against her skin. She exhaled as it quickly dissipated, leaving nothing more than a few slightly red marks on her arms. "Is that it?" she asked. "If that's the best you can do, I suggest you just give up and go home."

The boy was clearly surprised that she hadn't cried out in pain. His expression suggested he had been expecting the situation to be resolved with one attack. He frowned before bringing his palms closer together and gritted his teeth as a blinding orb of electricity formed within his grasp. Sweat formed on his brow as his glowing skin flickered with the effort of creating such a concentrated amount of power. "I've never channeled this much power before," he said. "So I don't know what it'll do to you. If you just give me my money back, we can end this peacefully."

Nabiki frowned as she realized that this guy had actually become a real threat. However, this amount of danger still wasn't enough to make her consider going against her regular business practices. She spread her feet further apart and took on a ready stance before prompting the guy by flipping up the middle finger of her left hand. "Come and get me, asshole," she said.

The glowing boy yelled as he lunged forward to thrust the concentrated ball of electricity toward his target, but was surprised when she moved faster than he could see and side-stepped his attack before delivering a spinning roundhouse kick to his middle back. The force of the kick lifted him a few feet above the ground and sent him flying toward a car belonging to one of the faculty.

Nabiki feared she may have overestimated her opponent as it appeared he was going to crash into the principal's new car. She looked at him curiously when he seemed to quickly reabsorb his concentrated attack and, momentarily, became pure electricity before phasing through the vehicle unharmed.

The boy, now solid once more, stood on the asphalt of the parking lot and looked himself over as if he were unsure of what had just happened.

As the boy inspected himself, Nabiki took advantage of his preoccupation and dashed forward in an attempt to finish the fight before it got any more difficult. She easily jumped over the car before flipping herself upside down in the air and grabbing the boy by the top of his shirt to carry him into the air with her. Nabiki righted herself at the apex of her jump as she swung the boy over her head and threw him down onto another patch of grass. She landed beside him as he rolled to halt on his back then hauled him up by his collar as she readied her other fist. Before she could land the final punch, the boy chuckled excitedly and disappeared from her grasp in a flash of sparks. He reappeared to her left with a big smile on his face.

"I give up," he said.

"What?" both Tendo sisters asked in disbelieving tones.

"You don't want your money back anymore?" Nabiki asked suspiciously.

"Nope," the boy replied. "I consider us even now. Thanks to you, I have something better than money. I'm invincible! This is great! Now, no one can touch me! I'll see you later," he added with a wave before disappearing in another flash of sparks.

"Huh ..." Nabiki drawled. "That was weird."

"Yeah, and he thought you were a mutant, too," Akane added. "Come to think of it ... I don't know what we are. What if we really are mutants?" she asked.

"You know ... I've been wondering about that for a while now," Nabiki admitted. "It would certainly explain why Kasumi insists on us keeping a low profile. I say it's about time she stopped avoiding the subject. We deserve to know the truth about our family."

"Right," Akane agreed.

- - - xxx - - -

_Saotome Residence_

_Los Angeles, California_

Nodoka shut the front door behind her before shrugging off her coat and kicking off her shoes. She haphazardly tossed her blazer onto the sofa as she passed through the living room on her way to the kitchen. When she reached her destination, she swung the refridgerator door open and pulled out a box of pizza before kicking the door shut with a foot. She then carried the box with her as she strolled back into the living room and stopped in front of a wall-mounted floor to ceiling length rectangular black box with a door-sized mirror embedded on its surface. She used the index finger of her free hand to double tap the mirror which immediately caused the reflective glass to display static, as if from a television, before the image morphed to show something resembling a highly advanced computer menu at about her eye-level. She quickly tapped a few icons before a short burst of static preceeded the full length image of another room filled with equipment and machinery. She abruptly stepped through the glass and into the other room before setting her pizza box on a stainless steel table with only a moderate amount of clutter. She then turned around and began tapping her fingers across the surface of an identical mirror before an image of Genma, accompanied by a dial tone, appeared in front of her.

A moment passed before a low quality video of Genma's face appeared on screen. "Nodoka, I'm glad you called. I have something to tell you," he said. "The kids know the truth now. I told them everything. I think it's time I brought them back home. How are things on your end?" he asked.

Nodoka inhaled half of a slice of pizza before she replied. "Well, my military superiors have finally figured out that someone has been sabotaging their efforts to create an advanced weapon of mass destruction to replace their nuclear warheads. They don't suspect me yet, though. I also just found out about a recent project to excavate a ship at the bottom of the Pacific. It seems that one of those enemy ships that arrived with us remains intact on the sea floor. If the Humans get their hands on the knowledge contained in that computer, it will be that much easier for them to complete their plans for a weapon. I plan to get in there and download the ship's entire database before destroying the computer core. It's a risky move, even for me, and there's a possibility that my cover could be compromised but, if I succeed, I believe we'll be able to use that information to formulate an effective attack strategy against the enemy fleet. If, by chance, I'm exposed, then it could be bad for the rest of you. Until I complete this mission, it would be better for you to stay on the road and keep the kids occupied."

"I see. I had no idea things had gotten so out of hand over there," Genma said. "Just make sure you don't let the Humans destroy this planet before we have a chance to save it from the real enemy, understood?"

"Yes sir," Nodoka replied with a smirk.

"And Commander ..."

"Yes?" Nodoka asked.

"Good luck," Genma said.

"Thank you," she replied, flashing him a brief smile before deactivating the comm-link.

She sighed as she turned her back and walked over to a circular platform in the middle of the lab before activating a three-dimensional hologram of the Earth with several circular lines drawn around it to indicate the various satellites in orbit. She touched a finger to one of the orbital paths and a magnified image of a Saiyan space pod appeared with a list of system readouts beside it. She visually analyzed the scrolling text before giving a satisfied nod and then reselected the virtual Earth that had been waiting in the background. She then zoomed in on the Pacific Ocean and waited for the pixelated image to sharpen before she was able to view the cluster of large boats gathered around a common set of coordinates.

"So ... it's somewhere around there, huh? I need to get down there before those Humans learn too much," she said.

- - - xxx - - -

_Tendo Residence_

_Pasadena, California_

Kasumi sat at the kitchen table skimming through a stack of envelopes. She stopped when she saw the one labeled Massachusetts Institute of Technology addressed to her. Her eyes lit up as she tore open one end of the envelope and pulled out a folded letter. Before she could begin to read, her two youngest sisters stormed into the kitchen and threw their backpacks down on the table. She set the letter down and diverted her attention toward her siblings. Before she could get a word in, Nabiki spoke up in a slightly demanding tone.

"Alright, Sis," Nabiki started. "No more lies. We want to know what it is you've been hiding all this time."

"Yeah," Akane agreed, folding her arms over her chest. "Are we mutants or not?" she asked.

"Well ... we're waiting," Nabiki said, tapping her foot.

Kasumi took a moment before sighing in resignation. "Alright, you win. I suppose I was going to have to do this soon, anyway. We're aliens," she added bluntly.

In response to the blank looks her younger sisters were giving her, Kasumi continued. "Our family has been on this planet since the day of my birth. The explanation for our being here is quite hefty and, as such, it was decided that you should be kept in the dark as long as possible. However, if you must know, I should take you to someone who can explain it better than I can."

Nabiki, having regained her wits first, spoke up in protest. "Oh, come on, Kasumi. You can't really expect us to believe that. I thought you were supposed to be a genius or something, but that's the best story you could come up with?"

"Whether you believe me or not is, of course, your choice. Should I continue with the truth or would you like me to come up with a story more suitable to your expectations?" Kasumi asked.

Nabiki shared a glance with her younger sister before sighing out loud. "Fine, we'll listen to what you have to say."

"Good. Follow me," Kasumi said before leading them out of the room.

The two youngest Tendo sisters stood beside their older sister with looks of astonishment on their faces as the once benign mirror now displayed a door-sized image of an auburn haired older woman staring back at them from within some sort of high-tech workshop. The older woman appeared slightly ruffled around the edges, as if she hadn't slept in quite a while, and was clad in a dirty lab coat.

"Greetings, my young protege," Nodoka said to Kasumi. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me. I see you've got company. Is this what I think it is?"

Kasumi nodded. "It is. Sorry I haven't gotten back to you in a while. I've been dealing with finals. I do have good news, though. I've been accepted into MIT. I just received the letter today."

"Excellent," Nodoka replied. "You're ahead of schedule. How old are you now ... sixteen?"

"Fifteen, actually, but my birthday is less than two months away," Kasumi replied. "Anyway, I was hoping you could enlighten my sisters to our plight."

"Ah, of course, of course," Nodoka replied. "You know, this is quite the coincidence. As a matter of fact, just a few hours ago, I learned that my children have been brought up to speed. Why don't you come over here and let me show you the improvements I've made to this facility?"

- - - xxx - - -

_Jusenkyo, China_

_Two weeks later ..._

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ranma asked as he balanced atop a bamboo pole along with his two family members. "That Chinese guy sounded pretty serious when he said this place was cursed."

"Are you chickening out already?" Ranko asked. "That's just a bunch of Chinese superstition. Don't tell me you actually believed that guy's little spiel?"

"Hey, who are you to talk?" Ranma retorted. "You were bitten by a vampire, for crying out loud! If they exist, who's to say that curses aren't real too?"

"Ugh, that was so two weeks ago. Get over it already," Ranko said as she rolled her eyes. "Look, if you can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen."

"Settle down, you two," Genma said. "Remember why we're here. Every bit of training we can get in is worth something. We have bigger things to worry about than some irrational Human beliefs. Now, ready yourselves. I expect you both to take this seriously."

"Heh ... whatever. I still say you're way too sure of yourself, old man," Ranma said with a confident smirk. "You may be able to defeat us separately but, together, we'll bring you down for sure."

"Hell yeah!" Ranko agreed. "Get ready!" she yelled.

"I'll make you eat your words," Genma replied with a smirk of his own. "Come at me whenever you're ready," he said.

The twins had a silent conversation with their eyes and shared grins before darting off in opposite directions. Wisps of wind could be heard as they swiftly bounded from pole to pole and forced their father to divide his attention to either side of himself. Ranko was the first to approach their common opponent and she dropped down to a shorter pole before launching herself at him from below. Ranma simultaneously sprang into the air and descended upon his father from above. As the siblings' two pronged attack came together, it appeared as if their target wasn't going to mount a defense.

At the last moment, Genma shot out both of his hands to catch Ranma by the ankle and Ranko by the wrist before spinning them around and throwing them back in opposite directions. He then leaped from his pole in pursuit of his daughter who was closer. The bald man bounced off of another pole and flipped over the girl's flying kick while launching a small hand blast toward the back of her head. His son appeared in time to cover his sister's back and deflect the blast back toward him. Genma twisted his body in the air, to let the blast sail past him, before rebounding off of another pole and narrowly avoiding a flurry of palm blasts from both children.

The Jusenkyo Guide stood outside of his hut while observing the martial artists with a mixed expression of fascination, awe, and worry. He had never had guests who were as reckless or destructive as these ones. At this rate, the cursed springs would be obliterated before lunch time. If he didn't do something, and fast, he would be out of a job. He grumbled to himself as he walked back into his hut and pulled a box out of the cabinet under his kitchen sink. He set the box down on the counter and began sifting through the various packets of instant curses until he found what he thought would work. He sported a lucky grin as he pulled out the last packet of instant dragon.

Genma's arms and legs moved at blurring speeds as he blocked or parried the attacks of the children who were double-teaming him from both sides. The short burst of speed ended when he intensified his aura and knocked them back with a small shock wave. He immediately went on the offensive and pressed his advantage by forcing Ranma to block a fast kick before he had recovered his footing. Genma succeeded in sending the boy skimming across the ground and bouncing over several of the pools while leaving a trail of broken bamboo in his wake. He had a small laugh just before his daughter's knee dug into his lower back and bent him over backwards.

Ranko was rejoined by her brother just as she completed a quick combination of kicks to her father's vital points and she ducked in time to let Ranma's supercharged backwards spinning kick hit the back of the bald man's neck. The powerful kick managed to knock the older man into a flying tumble that put a good amount of distance between them. Before their opponent could fully recover, the twins landed side by side on two close poles and put their hands close together to form one extra large ball of ki between the both of them. Their auras flared with effort just before they lifted the orb of energy in preparation to throw.

The older Saiyan man swung off of a pole and flipped back onto a nearby perch before gawking at the large orb of energy his children had summoned. He shrugged it off before igniting his aura and powering up to maximum. He doubted that even their strongest attack could penetrate his powered up defenses. "Give me your best!" he shouted as he folded his arms across his chest to wait for them.

Before either of the Saiyans could continue, a deep rumbling caused the air all around them to vibrate with pressure. A moment later, a long black dragon appeared from out of nowhere and curled it's body around the entirety of the springs before bringing it's head low enough to make eye contact with the alien trio. It opened it's mouth wide to reveal a swirl of fire shortly before blanketing the area above the springs with flames.

"Get down!" Genma shouted to his children before diving into a nearby spring.

The twins abandoned their perches and emulated their father by plunging into separate springs. After a few moments, the flames dissolved and the huge shadowy dragon vanished. Aside from the many smouldering bamboo poles, the area remained relatively unharmed.

Genma was the first to resurface and discover that his body was not as it should be. He felt way too small and everything else looked much bigger than he remembered. Aside from that, and an annoying itch on his back, his body looked normal. He looked at his reflection in the water and saw that his ears were now slightly longer and pointed at the tips. Over his shoulder, he saw thin translucent wings twitching intermittently and realized that they must be the source of his itch. "What the hell happened to me?" he muttered as he crawled onto the warm dirt.

"Ah, honored sir fall into spring of drowned fairy," the Guide said as he walked up beside him. "There tragic legend of fairy who drown in spring four-hundred and fifty year ago. Now, whoever fall into spring take body of little fairy."

"Say what!" Genma shouted as he involuntarily flapped his wings and flew up to the Guide's eye-level. "What sort of technology is this? Fix me, right now!" he demanded.

"No can do that, honored sir," the Guide said. "Is my duty to protect valley of cursed springs from destruction. Today's honored visitors too dangerous to let train here. Take children and go please," he added.

"Listen, you weak Human!" Genma shouted with an index finger pointed. "If you don't change me back, you'll be dooming this whole planet to destruction at the hands of an evil race of alien conquerors! I need to be able to fight them and I can't do it like this!"

"Then no worry, sir," the Guide replied. "Go find hot water somewhere far away from here and change back to uncursed form. Good luck," he added before walking away.

Before the fairy could protest, a pair of unique screams pierced the air and caught his attention. He fluttered his thin wings and ascended high enough to see his two children crawling out of their respective springs. From what he could see, they looked normal. But, if they were alright, then why would they need to scream? He tried to wrap his mind around a reason as he flew in their direction.

When the two siblings were finished inspecting themselves they approached each other with wide eyes and began to critically observe each other.

"Are you ...?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah, it's me," Ranko replied. "We look like ... each other ..."

"I know, but ... I feel way too weak to be you," Ranma said. "What about you?"

"Me too," Ranko agreed, with a nod. "This is bad."

"Hey, are you two okay?" Genma asked as he glided over to them while covering his nether region with both hands.

"Dad!" they asked. "Is that you?"

"I know, I know," Genma said. "I look ridiculous. At least you guys turned out okay. Will one of you do me a favor and throw me a piece of cloth?"

"Uh ... Dad?"

"What is it, Ranko?" Genma asked.

"I'm Ranma, not Ranko," the petite red head replied.

"And I'm Ranko," the black haired boy added.

"What ...?" Genma asked after a moment. "Wait, this must be another one of those curses at work! Listen, you two, I was told that if we can find some hot water that we'll be able to change back to ourselves. Let's get our stuff and get the hell out of here before anything worse happens," he suggested. "We can decide what to do about that Chinese guy after we get our real bodies back," he added.

The two cursed siblings sailed awkwardly through the air as they struggled to maintain a decent speed. Ranma carried two travel packs on her back while Ranko carried only one and sported a fairy sitting atop his head. Genma had reluctantly settled for riding along instead of flying under his own power after quickly learning that the limitations of his new body were far below those of his two children. However, he was also beginning to notice how fatigued the duo seemed to be and found himself wondering if perhaps more than just a change of genders had occurred between them.

Sweat trailed down Ranma's face as she began to slowly fall behind her cursed sister and father. She suddenly felt light headed and began to see double before her altitude decreased a bit. Shouts from her two travel companions brought her back from the daze and she quickly forced herself to catch up. "Guys ... I don't feel so good," she admitted. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I feel like I could fall at any moment."

"Hold on for just a little while longer," Genma said. "We're almost to that village we passed by earlier. We'll get help from them. How are you feeling, Ranko?"

"Not much better than him," Ranko replied, indicating his cursed brother with a nod in her direction. "Something is seriously wrong with us, Pop. I barely have any ki to speak of and it's burning out really fast. Not to mention, it's really hard to control. It's like my body isn't used to flying or something."

Before Genma could reply, he was forced to react quickly and grab onto his cursed son to stop her from falling out of the sky. He ignited his puny aura as he strained his thin arms to hold onto his child's gi. "Ranko! I can't hold him for very long! Grab us quickly before we both fall!"

Ranko took immediate action and grabbed a hold of his two companions. He growled with effort as the weight pulled him down several feet before he steadied himself. "I can't keep this up but for a few more seconds, Dad. Why don't we just walk the rest of the way?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"No, wait! I see it," Genma exclaimed as he pointed a finger into the distance ahead of them. "There it is, the village!"

Ranko saw the rooftops of the huts and the large wooden wall surrounding the village in the distance. He took a deep breath before igniting his aura and launching them into the final stretch with one last burst of speed. His aura burned out about two thirds of the way there, forcing them to continue on inertia alone. "Hold on!" he shouted as their descent carried them toward the outer wall of the village.

A pink haired amazon sentry turned her head when she heard a distant shout. She looked down to the ground from her watchtower, but saw nobody approaching the gate. Before she had a chance to look up, her wooden tower was rocked with the impact of something and sent tumbling to the ground.

Seconds later, several small groups of amazon warriors gathered around the heap of broken wood. A few of them began digging through the rubble while others held spears at the ready. The pink haired woman tossed a piece of wood aside and pulled herself out of the mess before stumbling into the arms of one of her sisters. After another moment, two young teenagers were uncovered.

"Ow ... " Ranko grumbled. "Head ... hurting ..."

Before Ranko could utter anything else, he was hauled out of the wreckage by a blue haired woman and held at spear point. It took him a moment to regain his bearings but, when he did, he saw that his brother was in a similar position. He flinched when the woman holding him jerked him forward and yelled something into his face. When it became apparent that she was asking him a question, he furrowed his brow. "Whoever you are, I don't speak Chinese. I have no idea what you're saying. We just came to get help. We were cursed at Jusenkyo."

That caused a reaction. The natives clearly didn't speak English, but they understood the word Jusenkyo. The blue haired woman shouted something to one of her comrades before said comrade took off running somewhere. Meanwhile, he and Ranma were unhanded but still held at spear point.

"Ughh ... I feel like shit ..." Ranma mumbled to her sister. "Where's Pop at?"

"Speak of the devil," Ranko said, glancing his eyes over to one of the travel packs as the fairy popped his head out of an opened pocket flap.

"What's going on?" Genma asked as he flew a few feet and landed on Ranko's right shoulder.

"The locals ain't as friendly as we thought they would be," Ranma replied. "That's what's going on."

"... And what do we have here ...?"

The three Saotomes paused their bantering to stare at the long haired old woman perched on a wooden cane.

"Hey, Bro, is it just me or did that monkey on a pogo stick just talk to us?" Ranko asked.

"It's not just you," Ranma confirmed.

"I am not a monkey!" the old woman replied before knocking the duo over their heads with her cane. "I am Cologne, an elder of this village, and it was my intention to hear your explanation for the destruction you have caused before delivering my verdict. However, since you seem to place more importance on insulting me rather than humbling yourselves in my presence, I suppose we'll skip straight to your punishment. You are hereby sentenced to enslavement until such a time as I am satisfied that you have repaid your debt to our community. Good day," Cologne added before turning around and pogo-ing away.

"Hey!" Ranma shouted, ignoring the spear at her throat. "That's not fair! You can't do that!"

Cologne paused to glance over her shoulder. She cackled briefly before giving a reply. "On the contrary, young one. You gave up your personal rights the moment you invaded our village. I will do with you as I please," she replied.

"You will not!" Genma shouted, rising into the air. "They are my children! I decide what they will and will not do!" he added as he began powering up his aura.

Cologne snorted as she wore an amused look on her face. "What can you do against me, fairy? Your ki spirit is weaker than these two children. You would be wise to accept your punishment willingly, lest you attach any extra time to your sentence."

Genma growled as he ignored the old woman's warning and brought his strongest attack to bear. He heaved his little fairy arms forward and launched the sphere of ki toward Cologne only to have it crushed in the palm of her hand. He panted in exhaustion as his wings failed and left him to the mercy of gravity. Luckily, his cursed son was fast enough to catch him in her hands before he fell to the ground.

"That was pathetic," Cologne said with a laugh.

"That was pretty funny to watch, actually," Ranko commented.

"Yeah, hahaha ..." Ranma added.

Genma huffed in frustration and crossed his arms over his chest. "At least I tried something. What have you two done?" he asked.

"Fine," Ranma said. "It's my turn. Here, hold Pop," she said before tossing the little man over to her sister. "Now ..." she started as she ignited a ball of ki in each of her palms, "... if everyone will clear a path for us to leave, we'll be on our way peacefully."

The warrior women shared glances with each other before looking to their elder for orders. Cologne scrutinized the red head for a brief moment before breaking out into laughter once again. She called the girl's bluff and shouted an order in Chinese for her warriors to attack.

Ranma dodged a spear thrust and ducked under the slice of a broadsword before throwing her twin blasts forward. Ranko, with his father on his shoulder, kicked a woman in the gut and sent her flying several feet before deflecting a wooden club with the butt of his left palm. Ranma's two blasts fizzled out before reaching their targets and she was forced to flip backwards to avoid a foot to the chin. Genma held on tight as his cursed daughter leaped over a flying axe and rebounded off of the thrower's head before landing a two-heeled kick to another's face. He glanced over to his son in time to see the cursed boy subdued and ganged upon by a group of enthusiastic warriors. He was then sent flying when his ride was knocked aside by a heavy mace.

"Admirable ..." Cologne commented, "... but futile, nonetheless."

Genma pulled himself to his feet and saw his two children being restrained by several amazons each. Both of them were bruised and bloodied, but remained conscious. "Damn it! All we wanted was help with our Jusenkyo curses! We had no intention of wrecking your village! Is it too much to ask for some hot water!" he asked, hoping she would take the bait.

"Hot water, you say?" Cologne asked. "I suppose your form will have no impact on your punishment. However, I don't trust you in the slightest. I'll allow your children the hot water, but not you," she added before snapping her fingers at a subordinate and yelling something in Chinese. "Welcome to slavery ... enjoy your stay."

Genma hid his smile well as Cologne pogoed away.

- - - xxx - - -

_October 30th, 1995_

_Nerima Ward, Tokyo, Japan_

_St. Bacchus School For Girls_

Ukyo sat in the back of class with her elbows resting on her desktop and her head in her hands as the teacher rambled on about something she had no interest in. She was too occupied with hating where she was at to care that her name had just been called on to read a paragraph from her open textbook. The school, its uniforms, her new home, and the fact that she was now so far away that Ranma would have no idea where she was at when he finally got back from his trip had left her feeling utterly helpless. Every aspect of her life was being dictated by other people and she was just about at her limit. _'What would Ranma and Ranko do ...?'_ she asked herself.

"Kuonji-san? Did you hear me? I asked you to read paragraph three on page fifty-two," the severely corpulent bespectaled man asked as he approached Ukyo's desk.

Ukyo lifted her head to look the teacher in the eye before straightening herself in her seat and lifting the book as if to oblige the man. Upon seeing this, the man gave her a satisfied nod before performing an about face and walking back toward the front of the classroom. Then, without warning, Ukyo tossed the book at the back of the teacher's head before standing up and grabbing her satchel.

"Miss Kuonji! Why did you do that?" the man asked with restrained irritation as he picked up the book and glared at her.

"Fuck off, jackass," Ukyo replied, illiciting a collective gasp from her classmates. "Why should I have to sit through this stupid class anyway, huh? I already know more English than your fat ass can teach me."

"That's no way for a lady to talk! Especially not one of my students! Hey, don't you walk out on me!"

"Screw you!" Ukyo replied, flipping him the bird, as she walked toward the door. "In fact, screw this whole school! So long, assholes!" she yelled before slamming the door behind her. She leaned back against the outside of the door and released a contented sigh before hearing the stomping footsteps of her teacher approaching from behind. She quickly pushed herself away from the door and took off running with a broad smile on her face. It was exhilirating to spit in the face of authority, for once, and it made her feel a little closer to her long lost friends.

Dried leaves rustled under Ukyo's feet as she slowed her run to a jog and then a walk before looking over her shoulder to make sure she had ditched the two delinquent officers that had been chasing her. She released a sigh of relief as she strolled deeper into the park while looking for a place to sit down and take a break. Her eyes scanned the path ahead of her and she spotted a short brick ledge with bushes behind it that could serve as a bench. As soon as her behind touched the hard surface she opened her bag and pulled out her bento. It was past her lunch time and she had just used a lot of energy ditching those wannabe cops so she was pretty hungry. As she was unwrapping the cloth around her bento box she heard a loud rustle in the bushes behind her, followed by a grunt. The surprise caused her to drop her box onto the ground.

"What the ...? Where am I?" a dark haired boy asked as he popped his head out of the bushes.

Ukyo abandoned her seat and took a step back from the boy in the blue school uniform as he freed himself from the prickly bush. "Who are you ... a stalker?" Ukyo asked as she pointed an accusing finger in his direction.

"Stalker? What! No way!" the boy replied, waving his hands in protest. "I don't even know where I am. One second, I was in class and then suddenly I was out here. It's almost like I teleported or something. Hey, that uniform ... you go to St. Bacchus? So, I'm still in Nerima, at least."

Ukyo gave him a sidelong glance as she appraised him. "Teleport, huh? So, you're a mutant?"

"Mutant! I don't know ... I've never done that before. Maybe it was just a fluke ..."

"I doubt it," Ukyo replied. "Normal people don't do things like that. Well, if you can teleport, then I can definitely use your help. I'm Ukyo. What's your name?"

"Um ... Hibiki, Ryoga. What did you mean by help?" he asked.

"I need to hitch a ride somewhere," she explained.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The only elements of this story that are actually mine are the plot and my own clunky writing style, lol. Anyway, the rest comes from somewhere else.

_**Illegal Aliens**_

_**Chapter Three:**_

_**Unhinged**_

- - - xxx - - -

_October 31st, 1995_

_Pasadena, California_

Strong gusts of wind blew rain into the faces of two teenagers and one fairy as they trekked through the downtown area in the direction of a residential district to the east. The noon sunlight was blotched out by the clouds and just about every pedestrian, except for them, had umbrellas to guard against the rain. Genma and his cursed son had varying levels of discontent expressed on their faces while Ranko seemed indifferent to the change. In fact, the cursed Saiyan girl was busy shooting suggestive glances toward nearly every cute woman they happened to encounter in their path. After getting a positive reaction from one of them, Ranko rolled up his gi sleeves and flexed a bicep before blowing a kiss at the woman. Ranma promptly slapped her sister upside the head and dragged him away by an ear before he could do or say anything more obscene.

"Ow, ow, hey! That actually hurt, you know ..." Ranko said as he rubbed his head. "What the hell did you do that for, huh?"

"Someone had to stop you from making a fool of yourself," Ranma said. "That was just ... ugh. Whenever you do things like that in cursed form it makes me look bad."

"That's no excuse to be a cock-blocker," Ranko retorted. "Dude, she was totally digging me and you ruined it. When have I ever interrupted you when you were trying to pick up on guys?"

Ranma let out a frustrated growl. "For the last time, I do not pick up on guys, damn it! And don't you dare bring up that thing from last week because it doesn't count! That weirdo came on to me for no reason! Geez, just because you like to play around like that doesn't mean I do too."

"Hmm ... well, next time, mind your own business then," Ranko said.

"Old man, say something to help me out here," Ranma said as she glanced to the fairy on her right shoulder.

Genma shrugged. "She's a growing boy, son. If she wants to have a girlfriend, then it's her decision. Actually, Saiyans are considered adults much earlier than Humans are."

"But I can't stand to see somebody who looks exactly like me doing embarrassing stuff in public. Can't you at least make her tone it down some?" Ranma pleaded.

"I don't even know why you're complaining," Ranko said. "At least I'm not flirting with guys in this form. How would you like it if I did that?" he asked with a sly grin on his face.

"You wouldn't!" Ranma shouted.

"Don't tempt me," Ranko replied.

Ranma growled briefly before sagging her shoulders in defeat and looking away. "Pop, tell me again why we're stopping in Pasadena instead of going straight home? And why do we have to walk when we could have easily flown above the storm?"

"We would have gotten wet when we landed, anyway, you idiot," Ranko supplied.

"Your mother sold our house. We're going to be staying with a close friend for a while," Genma said. "Don't worry, though. He and his daughters are Saiyans just like us, so we won't have to hide anything."

"Oh ... that's cool, I guess ..." Ranma trailed off.

"Sweet! How many daughters does this guy have?" Ranko asked while fidgeting excitedly. "I wonder what Saiyan girls are like?"

"Aren't you a Saiyan girl?" Ranma asked.

"Oh ... that's right, I almost forgot," Ranko said. "Still, I can't wait to meet them."

"He has three, but there's something I need to say before we get there," Genma said.

"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?" Ranma asked.

"On the day of your births, I engaged Ranma to marry one of my friend's daughters," the fairy said.

"What!" Ranma asked. "Why? Who?"

"It's to ensure that our blood remains strong while we're here. In the event that none of us are able to reach Super Saiyan, or we die before we get the chance, I came up with the idea of you breeding stronger offspring to continue the fight. However, we never decided who you would marry, so we'll just have you choose your fiancee when we get there," Genma explained.

"Duuuude ..." Ranko drawled.

- - - xxx - - -

_Tendo Residence_

The Tendo family sat around their dining room table with plates of food in front of them. Soun had an anxious look on his face while Akane looked disappointed. Nabiki appeared to be somewhat excited and Kasumi had a resolute expression.

"I see," Kasumi said. "I don't really prefer younger men but, if it's a strong pairing you want, I would be the most logical choice. I volunteer to marry Ranma."

"Hey, you're not even giving me a chance," Nabiki said. "What if he's really cute? I might want him."

"Why should any of us have to marry some guy we've never met before, even if he is auntie Nodoka's son?" Akane asked. "We're already plenty strong. We shouldn't have to worry about making strong children to fight in battles that we should be able to win ourselves."

"No offense, but neither of you have even come close to my level of strength and I'm still nowhere near a Super Saiyan," Kasumi said. "I'll do my duty and there's nothing anyone can say to stop me. That is, of course, assuming Ranma turned out to be as strong as father says he is supposed to be."

Before anyone else could comment on Kasumi's decision, the doorbell rang.

"Ooh, that might be them," Nabiki said before she and her father abandoned their seats to answer the door.

Several seconds passed before the two eager Tendos returned with a pair of gi clad teenagers and one fairy. Kasumi furrowed her brow as she checked and re-checked their ki signatures. What she found was disturbing. The pair, who she assumed to be Ranma and his sister, were weaker than Akane, by far, and not much stronger than Nabiki. The little man on the redhead's shoulders barely registered on her senses. "What's going on here?" she asked. "Father, who are these people?"

"Well, I know from the pictures that these two are Ranma and Ranko but, I'll admit, I don't know where their father has gone off to. Excuse me, did your father plan to meet us here later?" Soun asked.

"I'm right here, lieutenant," Genma said from his perch as he rolled his eyes.

"Sir!" Soun asked as his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "You're tiny! I thought you were a doll or something. What happened to you?"

"Chinese curse ..." Genma trailed off. "Could you bring me some hot water?"

"Sure, whatever you say," Soun replied with a nod. "Kasumi, would you be so kind?"

Kasumi nodded before disappearing into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Nabiki was giving Ranko a thorough appraisal as a slight blush began to creep onto her face. Her roving eyes didn't go unnoticed by the neo-boy for long, however.

"Yo," Ranko greeted with a nod and a smile before scooting closer to Nabiki. "And what's your name, beautiful?" he asked, with his face only centimeters away from Nabiki's.

"Nabiki," the middle Tendo replied, fully aware of how close their lips were to touching. "You must be Ranma."

"I'm whoever you want me to be, baby," Ranko replied, drawing ever closer to Nabiki's lips.

"Would you quit it already! We just met these people, for crying out loud!" Ranma protested before yanking her sister back by the scruff of his pigtail. "They aren't random people on the street, so you can't just act however you want with them. Sorry about uh ... him. He likes to joke around a lot. Isn't that right?" she asked while jamming an elbow into Ranko's side.

"No ... yes ... I mean, get off of me," Ranko said before pushing his brother away. "What I mean is, do you have a boyfriend?" he asked Nabiki as he took her hands into his own and pulled her closer to him.

"Is your brother always that way?" Akane asked Ranma as she glanced at the spectacle.

"Well, um, he's not always that bad. He's just ... uh ... yeah, actually, today's one of his better days," Ranma admitted.

"Well, I don't mean to be rude but, if he tries to seduce me when he's done with my sister, I'll vaporize his nuts," Akane said with all seriousness.

"Kids these days, heh, heh," Soun said to his old friend while wiping the sweatdrop from his brow.

Ranma swallowed the dry lump that had formed in her throat as a result. _'Ranko, you're gonna end up getting me killed by mistake if you don't stop!'_

"Anyway, that doesn't mean we can't be friends," Akane said with a cheerful smile. "You wanna spar? We have this teleporter thingy that can take us to a room built especially for high powered sessions."

"Really? That sounds pretty cool," Ranma said.

"Oh, oh, I wanna go too! You guys aren't going without me! This is the perfect chance to test out my latest idea about our curses," Ranko said.

"There's that word again," Kasumi said as she returned with a pitcher of steaming water. "What do you mean by 'curse'?"

"Ah, well, it's a long story," Genma said. "I can explain it better if you'd dump some of that hot water on my children."

"No!" Ranko protested. "Just ... let us spar first. Can't you just give us like fifteen minutes for a quick one?"

Genma sighed, audibly. "Fine, I guess so. I will admit that I'm eager to find out the results of your little experiment. Be careful, though."

"Come on, when am I not careful?" Ranko asked.

"Well, there was that time when you were bitten by a vampire and that time when you got possessed by a psychic mutant," Ranma supplied as she ticked off two fingers. "Or there was that other time when-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Ranko said. "You guys like to live in the past. Whatever. But seriously, if I'm right about this thing, the both of you had better show me some respect."

"Yeah, yeah, let's get on with it already," Ranma said.

Minutes later, the cursed siblings, along with their fairy father and the Tendo family, entered an expansive white room through the mirror portal from the Tendo residence. The sudden increase in gravity was shrugged off by everyone except for Nabiki and the Saotomes. Ranko's grin widened as he straightened up his posture with noticeable effort. Ranma emulated her sister. Genma struggled a bit but, being as small as he currently was, the gravity didn't affect him as bad as it would if here were full sized. Nabiki instantly regretted coming along and was annoyed by the fact that she was already breaking a sweat after having only taken a few steps.

"What's with the gravity in here?" the middle Tendo asked no one in particular.

"It's ten times more than normal," Kasumi supplied. "Courtesy of Aunty Nodoka."

"Thanks for the advanced warning," Nabiki quipped with sarcasm dribbling from her mouth.

"If you had kept up with your training, then you wouldn't have a reason to complain," Akane chided. "This is barely taxing as it is. You haven't truly broken a sweat until you spar with Kasumi under twenty times g-force."

"Now, now," Soun said. "Stop picking on your sister. Did we come here to watch a sparring session or to argue about someone else's training habits?"

"Yes, daddy," Akane sighed. "Sorry Nabiki," she added.

Nabiki snorted as she waved off her little sisters apology. She was used to it by now.

Ranma and Ranko took off running to put some distance between themselves and the others, leaving Genma to flutter his fairy wings and land heavily on top of Souns head. The duo waved their hands above their heads wildy as they beckoned Akane and her oldest sister to join them. Akane grinned enthusiastically before taking off to join them. "Come on, Kasumi!" Akane shouted over her shoulder as she squared off against Ranma.

Kasumi hesitated before shaking her head and replying. "I think I'll sit this one out. You're more than enough to take on the two of them."

"Yeah, throwing you into the mix would just be overkill," Nabiki agreed.

"Ha! If she wants it to be two on one that's fine with me," Ranko said with a smirk. "You ready?" he asked Ranma.

"Always," the redhead replied. "You do realize that we're probably about to get our asses served to us on a platter though, don't you?"

"You're catching on, I see," Ranko said. "I'm right about this and you know it. This is gonna be great!" he yelled before exploding forward in a burst of ki and recklessy attacking Akane head on.

Akane was surpised at how fast the pigtailed boy and girl moved despite the low power levels she detected from them but still was able to effortlessly evade the well timed attacks they pressed her with. She purposefully kept her own power level suppressed to a level that made the fight interesting for both sides. Despite the lack of a strong challenge, Akane still enjoyed the exchange due to the fact that she was sparring two new opponents. After several more seconds of dodging, she thought she had finally grasped the full scope of their speed and agility. She then shifted her stance and began blocking their blows until the boy suddenly broke off the attack and dragged his sister aside to whisper something into her ear.

"Listen, bro," Ranko started. "This chick is clearly not taking us seriously. I really need her to pound us into the ground for the sake of proving my theory. Think you can help me piss her off?"

Ranma sighed in resignation before nodding. "If what I think you're thinking is right, then I suppose it'll be worth it. It's not gonna win us any friendship points, though."

Ranko simply shrugged it off as if he could care less. He then turned around to face their opponent again before opening his mouth and sucking in a deep breath. Then, with that breath, he expelled a very loud and very long list of verbal obscenities directed at the youngest Tendo before laughing and pointing. Ranma groaned as she realized that she was sure to regret this later but, none the less, joined her sister in mocking the girl who had initially offered to be friends.

Akane growled in irritation but forced herself to remember what Kasumi had taught her about maintaining her cool while in the midst of combat. It only took her a moment to realize that they were trying to goad her into getting angry and attacking them without thinking. She smirked as she folded her arms over her chest and exhaled the anger that had begun to bubble within her. "Nice try," she said confidently. "But, if you think I'm dumb enough to fall for that then you've got another thing coming."

"I'd say that was a bust," Ranma whispered to her sister. "Got a plan B?"

"Plan 'B' huh?" Ranko drawled as a rosey blush spread across his face. "Think you can manage to get her into a hold?"

"Probably, but she'll just break out of it in a few seconds if she's as strong as I think she is. Why?" she asked.

"Don't ask questions," Ranko quickly replied. "Just follow my lead," he finished and darted off before his brother had a chance to rethink things.

Akane had quickly grown bored with the game that her two opponents insisted on playing with her and had taken to doing one handed, three fingered, push-ups from a handstand to pass the time. With her attention divided, she actually managed to get caught from behind by the redhead and flipped right side up. The hold was a joke to her and she was about fling the smaller girl off of her when her male opponent suddenly appeared in front of her and clamped both of his hands onto her chest before planting a big wet kiss on her face.

Off in the background, Soun's eyes began to tear up as a smile spread across his face. He glanced upward to where his friend sat atop his head. "They grow up so fast! I guess your son has chosen Akane to be his mate. I'm so happy for them!" he wailed.

Fairy Genma groaned as he rolled his eyes and dragged a palm across his face. "Er ... about that ..."

Akane went completely rigid for a brief moment before recovering from the shock and being overcome with rage. She screamed at the top of her lungs as her aura exploded outward at full force and sent her two opponents sprawling. She hunched over and thrust her arms forward before quickly discharging a massive ki wave toward where Ranko was pulling himself off of the ground.

Ranko barely had time to erect a ki barrier before the wave impacted upon it. He gritted his teeth and strained with everything he had until his brother joined him and combined her power with his own. Together they managed to hold Akane's energy at bay for several more seconds until she intensified it and completely overpowered them. When it was over, the two cursed siblings lay in a smoking heap on the ground. Both were burnt, bruised, and bloody, but still remained conscious. Ranma groaned in pain as she tried to make her sister roll off of her, but found moving to be an extremely bad idea at the moment. Her half lidded eyes opened wider and she began to panic as she noticed Akane stalking toward them. She cringed when Akane reeled a foot back and kicked her sister off of her stomach and several feet into the air. Ranko coughed up a little saliva as he landed hard on his back.

Looking up at Akane he cracked a smile and winked at her even as she stalked toward him with her fists clenched. "Was it good for you too?" he asked. He then coughed up blood as she leaned down and slammed a fist into his gut. "Guuaagggh!" Ranko gurgled before breaking out into pained laughter as Akane reeled a fist back yet again. "Yeah!" he shouted. "It hurts so good! Give me more, please?"

Akane screamed in frustration and was about to pound another fist into the pervert when the shouts of protest from her family finally broke through her rage induced trance. She blinked several times as her rational mind returned and she looked down at the beaten boy laying beneath her. She growled in irritation before spitting in his face and walking away.

After being carried back through the portal, the two beaten siblings were deposited into the guest room that had been prepared for them. Everyone except for Akane was present and Kasumi quickly began patching them up as best she could. As she worked on cleaning their wounds, she couldn't help but be slightly put off by the stupid grin plastered on the boy's face. The gleam in his swollen eyes suggested he was close to sharing with everyone what had motivated him to instigate the severe beating he and his sister were currently still recovering from. The girl, for her part, was noticeably less excited at the moment. She wore a more apprehensive expression.

As Kasumi's ministrations came to an end, the twins voiced their thanks to the eldest Tendo sister before kindly requesting that hot water be brought to them. Nabiki, eager to get the bottom of this mystery as soon as possible, took it upon herself to vacate the room and quickly return with a kettle full of hot water from the tap. As soon as it was explained that they needed contact with hot water to return to their uncursed forms, Kasumi took the kettle and carefully poured water on Genma first. Fortunately, for everyone else, Genma had taken to wearing a modified version of his old Saiyan armor which easily stretched to accommdate his new size. The Tendos didn't react too dramatically to Genma since they were already expecting him to become a man. They did, however, grow curious as to how his two chilrden could be cursed and still appear to be normal. As soon as the hot water hit the twins, two sets of eyes popped and an "oh my" was uttered before the kettle dropped to the floor.

"What the hell does this mean?" Nabiki shouted, losing all composure, as she pointed a finger at the Saotome siblings.

"It means you were actually swooning over my daughter," Genma supplied. "She's uh...how should I say it? Energetic...yeah that's appropriate."

"So...that's what they're calling it these days..." Soun trailed off thoughtfully while rubbing his chin. "Well, Nabiki, if that's what you really want, then I'll be a supportive father for you. After all, Kasumi has already volunteered to marry Ranma."

"No! No, that is _not_ what I want I _assure_ you!" the middle Tendo said while gesturing wildly to make her point. "I like boys! _Boys!_" she reiterated with emphasis.

"I can help you get over that," Ranko said with a wink before blowing her a kiss.

Ranma groaned audibly as he painstakingly lifted a hand to rub the bridge of his nose to stem the onset of the migrane that had already begun to swell inside his head. His sister was far too unhinged, in his opinion, and, with his luck, her shenanigans would ultimately get him in trouble yet again.

Nabiki exerted a tremendous amount of effort to reel in her emotions and regain a portion of her former bearing before responding to Ranko's blatant suggestiveness. "I'm done playing this game. You get within arms length of me at any given time and I promise I will make your life hell for as long as you stay here. Now, unless you've got something more important to share with us, I'd rather not continue wasting my time here."

"Actually, I do," Ranko said, sporting a smirk. "I'm sure you're all shocked enough that my Bro and I switch genders, but it gets even better than that," she added enthusiastically.

"_'Better'_ she says..." Ranma muttered.

"Oh, shut up, party pooper! You always refuse to see the bright side of bad situations until I motivate you," Ranko said. "Anyway, like I was about to say, we also become Human. Humans, as I'm sure we all know, are much less durable than Saiyans and have a lower capacity for developing ki. I figured, what better way to take advantage of the natural increase in strength a Saiyan gets after recovering from serious physical injuries than to get beaten up as a Human and then turn back into a Saiyan to heal? It's really easy to get beaten in our cursed forms because we're so much weaker. It's pure genius on my part, right?"

"I take it that's why you had that insane grin on your face the entire time," Nabiki surmised.

Kasumi scanned the uncursed forms of the twins and was surprised at the difference from before. Even in a weakened state, their ki was about five times stronger than their Human forms which put them a lot closer to Akane's level. However, if they were this strong when beaten and broken, then she could only guess how powerful they would be after a full recovery. She may very well have to add them to the short list of people who could challenge her. That would obviously have to wait until they recovered of course, but it was promising nonetheless.

- - - xxx - - -

_Nodoka's Lab_

Ranma opened his eyes as he regained consciousness and his body registered the unique sensation of being suspended in the soothingly warm liquid of a regeneration tank for the first time. Through the window on the front of his tank, he could see a messily kempt woman with auburn hair shuffling around the equally messy lab. She turned to look in his direction when his tank chimed similar to the way a microwave did when it finished reheating leftovers. The Saiyan boy's eyes widened with joy and a bit of surprise when he saw the smiling face of his mom as she approached him and pressed a button on the outside of his tank.

He landed solidly on his feet as the liquid was drained from the machine and the hatch was lifted. He was welcomed into his mother's arms to share a long overdue hug. He noticed, as he embraced his mom, that Ranko was still unconscious in the tank beside his. She had, after all, taken more of a beating than he did. Sometimes it really confounded him as to why his sister insisted on purposefully putting herself in situations that almost always resulted in excessively negative consequenses for them both. Granted, this time it had been almost worth it due to the undeniable boost in power he felt, but it still slightly irked him that nine times out of ten she would act so comfortably flippant when it came to doing or recalling embarrassing things that involved one or both of them. Then again, as per the rules of their sibling rivalry, there were no holds barred when it came to one-upping each other. He may as well chalk this whole thing up to another point for her. She had managed to prove her theory while, at the same time, ensuring that at least one of the Tendo girls hated them. And, since it was his ass on the line for betrothal, he got to reap all of the so-called 'rewards' of her antics while she would no doubt continue playing games and feeling comfortable in her freedom. _'I can't let her keep the upper hand for too long'_, he thought. _'I am _so _ gonna become a Super Saiyan first!'_

Nodoka, who didn't believe in dragging out heartfelt moments longer than necessary, quickly detached herself from her son and took a step back so she could appraise him as he stood there in his battle worn rags. It took only a moment for her to make the guesstimate about his measurements before she stepped toward a nearby workbench with drawers under it and procured a set of Saiyan armor for him to wear.

"Thanks, Mom," Ranma said, gratefully, as he accepted the gift. "Can you point me in the direction of that gravity room thingy?"

"Plan on getting the head start over your sister, I see," Nodoka replied knowingly. "I don't see anything wrong with that," she added with a shrug. "Just tap the mirror twice to open the menu and select your destination before you walk through it. You might want to consider changing out of those rags and grabbing lunch first, though. You've been out for almost sixteen hours. High gravity environments aren't ideal to train in on an empty stomach."

Ranma's suddenly growling stomach punctuated his mother's advisory statement at the right moment. "Heh-heh, good point," he agreed after a slightly embarrassed chuckle. "Off to the Tendo's place I guess ..." _'Geez, I wasn't looking forward to going back there right away ...'_

"Have fun, dear," Nodoka replied absently as her attention shifted elsewhere.

**Hey there everyone! I'm sorry for the extreme lag on my part with all of my postings on . I honestly haven't been writing at all for quite a while. Life is getting kinda busy for me seeing as I just got engaged to my girlfriend recently. I'm also trying to sort out my career situation and figure out if I can afford to go back to school. Things just tend to get more complicated the older I get, it seems. Anyway, I hate to post a new chapter half the size of the standard I set up for this story, but I figured why the hell not? I don't have as much time as I used to, and I doubt it'll get any better, so I wanted to at least give the people who are still interested in this story a little taste of what has been collecting dust on my hard drive all this time. I hope you enjoyed it and I appreciate your support as always.**


End file.
